MAR  30   1989 

Logical  seta"^ 

.si 


THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 


THE  SOCIAL 
PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 


Waltee  Rauschenbusch 


Profetaor  of  Church  Hittory,  Rochester  Theological  8ei»inary 

MAR  O:    1989 


'.  ^/.'. 


WRrrrEx  under  the  directiov  of  \/^ c^?/ /")/>' /%hi   ec»wV\^<'*^lx 


Sub-Committee  on  College  Courses 

Sunday  School  Council  of  Evangelical 

Denominations 

AND 

Committee  on  Voluntary  Study 
Council  of  North  American  Student  Movements 


GROSSET    k   DUNLAP 

Publishers         ::        New  York 
By  arrangement  with  The  Womans  Press 


copteight,  1916,  by 

The  Intebnational  Committee  op 

Young  Men's  Christian  Asbociationb 

Entebbd  at  Stationers'  Hall,  London.  1916, 
All  Rights  Resebveo 


Printed  in  the  United  St;ites  of  America 


The  Bible  text  printed  in  short  measure  (indented  both 
iides)  is  taken  from  the  American  Standard  Edition  of  the 
Revised  Bible,  copyright,  1901,  by  Thomas  Nelson  &  Sons, 
and  is  used  by  permission. 


CONTENTS 

PART  I.     THE  AXIOMATIC  SOCIAL  CONVICTIONS 
OF  JESUS 

Introduction vii 

I.    The  Value  of  Life i 

11.    The  Solidarity  OF  THE  Human  Family 17 

III.  Standing  with  the  People 31 

PART  II.    THE  SOCIAL  IDEAL  OF  JESUS 

IV.  The  Kingdom  of  God  :  Its  Values 49 

V.    The  Kingdom  of  God  :  Its  Tasks 63 

VI.    A  New  Age  and  New  Standards 80 

PART  III.  THE  RECALCITRANT  SOCIAL  FORCES 

VII.    Leadership  for  Service 97 

VIII.    Private  Property  and  the  Common  Good 116 

IX.    The  Social  Test  of  Religion 131 

PART  IV.     CONQUEST  BY  CONFLICT 

X.    The  Conflict  with  Evil 151 

XL    The  Cross  as  a  Social  Principle 167 

XII.    A  Review  and  a  Challenge 184 


INTRODUCTION 

This  book  is  not  a  life  of  Christ,  nor  an  exposition  of  his 
religious  teachings,  nor  a  doctrinal  statement  about  his  per- 
son and  work.  It  is  an  attempt  to  formulate  in  simple  proposi- 
tions the  fundamental  convictions  of  Jesus  about  the  social 
and  ethical  relations  and  duties  of  men. 

Our  generation  is  profoundly  troubled  by  the  problems  of 
organized  society.  The  most  active  interest  of  serious  men 
and  women  in  the  colleges  is  concentrated  on  them.  Wa 
know  that  we  are  in  deep  need  of  moral  light  and  spiritual 
inspiration  in  our  gropings.  There  is  an  increasing  realiza- 
tion, too,  that  the  salvation  of  society  lies  in  the  direction 
toward  which  Jesus  led.  And  yet  there  is  no  clear  under- 
standing of  what  he  stood  for.  Those  who  have  grown  up 
under  Christian  teaching  can  sum  up  the  doctrines  of  the 
Church  readily,  but  the  principles  which  we  must  under- 
stand if  we  are  to  follow  Jesus  in  the  way  of  life,  seem 
enveloped  in  a  haze.  The  ordinary  man  sees  clearly  only 
Christ's  law  of  love  and  the  golden  rule.  This  book  seeks 
to  bring  to  a  point  what  we  all  vaguely  know. 

It  does  not  undertake  to  furnish  predigested  material,  or 
to  impose  conclusions.  It  spreads  out  the  most  important 
source  passages  for  personal  study,  points  out  the  connection 
between  the  principles  of  Jesus  and  modern  social  problems, 
and  raises  questions  for  discussion.  It  was  written  pri- 
marily for  voluntary  study  groups  of  college  seniors,  and 
their  intellectual  and  spiritual  needs  are  not  like  those  of  an 
average  church  audience.  It  challenges  college  men  and 
women  to  face  the  social  convictions  of  Jesus  and  to  make 
their  own  adjustments. 


PART  I 

THE  AXIOMATIC  SOCIAL  CONVIC- 
TIONS OF  JESUS 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  VALUE  OF  LIFE 

Human  Life  and  Personality  are  Sacred 

Whatever  our  present  conceptions  of  Jesus  Christ  may  be, 
we  ought  to  approach  our  study  of  his  teachings  with  a 
sense  of  reverence.  With  the  slenderest  human  means  at  his 
disposal,  within  a  brief  span  of  time,  he  raised  our  under- 
standing of  God  and  of  human  life  to  new  levels  forever, 
and  set  forces  in  motion  which  revolutionized  history. 

Of  his  teachings  we  have  only  fragments,  but  they  have  an 
inexhaustible  vitality.  In  this  course  we  are  to  examine  these 
as  our  source  material  in  order  to  discover,  if  possible,  what 
fundamental  ethical  principles  were  in  the  mind  of  Jesus. 
This  part  of  his  thought  has  been  less  understood  and  appro- 
priated than  other  parts,  and  it  is  more  needed  today  than 
ever.  Let  us  go  at  this  study  with  the  sense  of  handling 
something  great,  which  may  have  guiding  force  for  our  own 
lives.  Let  us  work  out  for  ourselves  the  social  meaning  of 
the  personality  and  thought  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  be  prepared 
to  face  his  challenge  to  the  present  social  and  economic  order 
of  which  we  are  part. 

How  did  Jesus  view  the  life  and  personality  of  the  men 
about  him?  How  did  he  see  the  social  relation  which  binds 
people  together?  What  was  the  reaction  of  his  mind  in  face 
of  the  inequalities  and  sufferings  of  actual  society?  If  we 
can  get  hold  of  the  convictions  which  were  axiomatic  and 
immediate  with  him  on  these  three  questions,  we  shall  have 
the  key  to  his  social  principles.  We  shall  take  them  up  in  the 
first  three  chapters. 


[I-i]       THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

Daily  Readings 

FiKST  Day:  The  Worth  of  a  Child 

And  they  were  bringing  unto  him  little  children, 
that  he  should  touch  them :  and  the  disciples  re- 
buked them.  But  when  Jesus  saw  it,  he  was  moved 
■with  indignation,  and  said  unto  them,  Suffer  the 
little  children  to  come  unto  me;  forbid  them  not: 
for  to  such  belongeth  the  kingdom  of  God.  Verily 
I  say  unto  you,  Whosoever  shall  not  receive  the 
kingdom  of  God  as  a  little  child,  he  shall  in  no  wise 
enter  therein.  And  he  took  them  in  his  arms,  and 
blessed  them,  laying  his  hands  upon  them. — Mark 
10 :  13-16. 

The  child  is  humanity  reduced  to  its  simplest  terms.  Af- 
fectionate joy  in  children  is  perhaps  the  purest  expression 
of  social  feeling.  Jesus  was  indignant  when  the  disciples 
thought  children  were  not  of  sufficient  importance  to  occupy 
his  attention.  Compared  with  the  selfish  ambition  of  grown- 
ups he  felt  something  heavenly  in  children,  a  breath  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God.  They  are  nearer  the  Kingdom  than  those 
whom  the  world  has  smudged.  To  inflict  any  spiritual  injury 
on  one  of  these  little  ones  seemed  to  him  an  inexpressible 
guilt.    See  Matthew  18:  1-6. 

Cajt  the  moral  standing  of  a  community  be  fairly  judged 
by  the  statistics  of  child  labor  and  infant  mortality? 

What  prompts  some  young  men  to  tyrannize  over  their 
younger  brothers? 

How  does  this  passage  and  the  principle  of  the  sacredness 
of  life  bear  on  the  problem  of  eugenics? 

Second  Day  :   The  Humanity  of  a  Leper 

And  when  he  was  come  down  from  the  mountain, 
great  multitudes  followed  him.  And  behold,  there 
came  to  him  a  leper,  and  worshipped  him,  saying, 
Lord,  if  thou  wilt,  thou  canst  make  me  clean.    And 


THE  VALUE  OF  LIFE  [I-3] 

he  stretched  forth  his  hand,  and  touched  him,  say- 
ing, I  will;  be  thou  made  clean.  And  straightway 
his  leprosy  was  cleansed.  And  Jesus  saith  unto  him, 
See  thou  tell  no  man;  but  go,  show  thyself  to  the 
priest,  and  offer  the  gift  that  Moses  commanded,  for 
a  testimony  unto  them. — Matt.  8:  1-4. 

Whenever  Jesus  healed  he  rendered  a  social  service  to  his 
fellows.  The  spontaneous  tenderness  which  he  put  into  his 
contact  with  the  sick  was  an  expression  of  his  sense  of  the 
sacredness  of  life.  A  leper  with  fingerless  hands  and  de- 
caying joints  was  repulsive  to  the  aesthetic  feelings  and  a 
menace  to  selfish  fear  of  infection.  The  community  quar- 
antined the  lepers  in  waste  places  by  stoning  them  when  they 
crossed  bounds.  (Remember  Ben  Hur's  mother  and  sister.) 
Jesus  not  only  healed  this  man,  but  his  sense  of  humanity  so 
went  out  to  him  that  "he  stretched  forth  his  hand  and  touched 
him."  Even  the  most  wretched  specimen  of  humanity  still 
had  value  to  him. 

What  is  the  social  and  moral  importance  of  those  pro- 
fessions which  cure  or  prevent  sickness? 

How  would  a  strong  religious  sense  of  the  sacredness  of 
life  affect  members  of  these  professions? 

Third  Day:  The  Moral  Quality  of  Contempt 

Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said  to  them  of  old  time, 
Thou  shalt  not  kill;  and  whosoever  shall  kill  shall  be 
in  danger  of  the  judgment:  but  I  say  unto  you,  that 
every  one  who  is  angry  with  his  brother  shall  be  in 
danger  of  the  judgment;  and  whosoever  shall  say  to 
his  brother,  Raca,  shall  be  in  danger  of  the  council; 
and  whosoever  shall  say,  Thou  fool,  shall  be  in  dan- 
ger of  the  hell  of  fire. — Matt.  5  :2i,  22. 

In  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  Jesus  demanded  that  the 
standards  of  social  morality  be  raised  to  a  new  level.  He 
Proposed  that  the  feeling  of  anger  and  hate  be  treated  as 


[1-4]        THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

seriously  as  murder  had  been  treated  under  the  old  code,  and 
if  anyone  went  so  far  as  to  use  hateful  and  contemptuous 
expressions  toward  a  fellow-man,  it  ought  to  be  a  case  for 
the  supreme  court.  Of  course  this  was  simply  a  vivid  form 
of  putting  it.  The  important  point  is  that  Jesus  ranged  hate 
and  contempt  under  the  category  of  murder.  To  abuse  a  man 
with  words  of  contempt  denies  his  worth,  breaks  down  his 
self-respect,  and  robs  him  of  the  regard  of  others.  It  is  an 
attempt  to  murder  his  soul.  The  horror  which  Jesus  feels 
for  such  action  is  an  expression  of  his  own  respect  for  the 
worth  of  personality. 

How  is  the  self-respect  and  sense  of  personal  worth  of  men 
built  up  or  broken  down  in  college  communities? 
How  in  industrial  communities? 

Fourth  Day:  Bringing  Back  the  Outcast 

Now  all  the  publicans  and  sinners  were  drawing 
near  unto  him  to  hear  him.  And  both  the  Pharisees 
and  the  scribes  murmured,  saying,  This  man  receiveth 
sinners,  and  eateth  with  them. 

And  he  spake  unto  them  this  parable,  saying,  What 
man  of  you,  having  a  hundred  sheep,  and  having  lost 
one  of  them,  doth  not  leave  the  ninety  and  nine  in  the 
wilderness,  and  go  after  that  which  is  lost,  until  he 
find  it?  And  when  he  hath  found  it,  he  layeth  it  on 
his  shoulders,  rejoicing.  And  when  he  cometh  home, 
he  calleth  together  his  friends  and  his  neighbors, 
saying  unto  them.  Rejoice  with  me,  for  I  have  found 
my  sheep  which  was  lost.  I  say  unto  you,  that  even 
so  there  shall  be  joy  in  heaven  over  one  sinner  that 
repenteth,  more  than  over  ninety  and  nine  righteous 
persons,  who  need  no  repentance. 

Or  what  woman  having  ten  pieces  of  silver,  if  she 
lose  one  piece,  doth  not  light  a  lamp,  and  sweep  the 
house,  and  seek  diligently  until  she  find  it?  And 
when  she  hath  found  it,  she  calleth  together  her 
friends  and  neighbors,  saying.  Rejoice  with  me,  for 
I  have  found  the  piece  which  I  had  lost    Even  so, 


THE  VALUE  OF  LIFE  [I-5] 

I  say  unto  you,  there  is  joy  in  the  presence  of  the 
angels  of  God  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth. — Luke 
15:   I-IO. 

Every  Jewish  community  had  a  fringe  of  unchurched  peo- 
ple, who  could  not  keep  up  the  strict  observance  of  the  Law 
and  had  given  up  trying.  The  pious  people,  just  because  they 
were  pious,  felt  they  must  cold-shoulder  such.  Jesus  walked 
across  the  lines  established.  What  seems  to  have  been  the 
motive  that  prompted  him?  Why  did  the  Pharisee  withdraw, 
and  why  did  Jesus  mix  with  the  publicans? 

What  groups  in  our  own  communities  correspond  to  the 
"publicans  and  sinners,"  and  what  is  the  attitude  of  religious 
people  toward  them? 

What  social  groups  in  college  towns  are  spoken  of  with 
contempt  by  college  men,  and  why? 

Is  there  a  Pharisaism  of  education?    Define  and  locate  it. 

Fifth  Day:    The  Problem  of  the  Delinquents 

For  the  Son  of  man  came  to  seek  and  to  save  that 
which  was  lost. — Luke  19:  10. 

Here  Jesus  formulates  the  inner  meaning  and  mission  of 
his  life  as  he  himself  felt  it.  He  was  here  for  social  re- 
storation and  moral  salvage.  No  human  being  should  go  to 
pieces  if  he  could  help  it.  He  was  not  only  willing  to  help 
people  who  came  to  him  for  help,  but  he  proposed  to  go  after 
them.    The  "lost"  man  was  too  valuable  and  sacred  to  be  lost. 

How  does  the  Christian  impulse  of  salvation  connect  with 
the  activities  represented  in  the  National  Qjnference  of 
Charities  and  Correction? 

How  does  a  college  community  regard  its  "sinners"?  Sup- 
pose a  man  has  an  instinct  for  low  amusements  and  a  yellow 
sense  of  honor,  how  do  the  higher  forces  in  college  life  get 
at  that  man  to  set  him  right? 

5 


[1-6]       THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

Sixth  Day:    Going  Beyond  Justice 

For  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  man  that 
was  a  householder,  who  went  out  early  in  the  morn- 
ing to  hire  laborers  into  his  vineyard.  And  when  he 
had  agreed  with  the  laborers  for  a  shilling  a  day,  he 
sent  them  into  his  vineyard.  And  he  went  out  about 
the  third  hour,  and  saw  others  standing  in  the  mar- 
ketplace idle;  and  to  them  he  said,  Go  ye  also  into 
the  vineyard,  and  whatsoever  is  right  I  will  give  you. 
And  they  went  their  way.  Again  he  went  out  about 
the  sixth  and  the  ninth  hour,  and  did  likewise.  And 
about  the  eleventh  hour  he  went  out  and  found  others 
standing:  and  he  saith  unto  them.  Why  stand  ye  here 
all  the  day  idle?  They  say  unto  him,  Because  no  man 
hath  hired  us.  He  said  unto  them,  Go  ye  also  into  the 
vineyard.  And  when  even  was  come,  the  lord  of  the 
vineyard  said  unto  his  steward,  Call  the  laborers, 
and  pay  them  their  hire,  beginning  from  the  last  unta 
the  first.  And  when  they  came  that  were  hired  about 
the  eleventh  hour,  they  received  every  man  a  shilling. 
And  when  the  first  came,  they  supposed  that  they 
would  receive  more;  and  they  likewise  received  every 
man  a  shilling.  And  when  they  received  it,  they  mur- 
mured against  the  householder,  saying.  These  last 
have  spent  but  one  hour,  and  thou  hast  made  them 
equal  unto  us,  who  have  borne  the  burden  of  the 
day  and  the  scorching  heat.  But  he  answered  and 
said  to  one  of  them,  Friend,  I  do  thee  no  wrong: 
didst  not  thou  agree  with  me  for  a  shilling?  Take 
up  that  which  is  thine,  and  go  thy  way;  it  is  my  will 
to  give  unto  this  last,  even  as  unto  thee.  Is  it  not 
lawful  for  me  to  do  what  I  will  with  mine  own?  or 
is  thine  eye  evil,  because  I  am  good?  So  the  last 
shall  be  first,  and  the  first  last. — Matt.  20:  1-16. 

Judaism  rested  on  legality.  So  much  obedience  to  the  law 
earned  so  much  reward,  according  to  the  contract  between 
God  and  Israel.  Theoretically  this  was  just;  practically  it 
gave  the  inside  track  to  the  respectable  and  welltodo,  for  it 
took  leisure  and  money  to  obey  the  minutiae  of  the  Law.    In 

6 


THE  VALUE  OF  LIFE  [I-7] 

this  parable  the  employer  rises  from  the  level  of  justice  to 
the  higher  plane  of  human  fellow-feeling.  These  eleventh- 
hour  men  had  been  ready  to  work;  they  had  to  eat  and  live; 
he  proposed  to  give  them  a  living  wage  because  he  felt  an 
inner  prompting  to  do  so.  In  the  parable  of  the  Prodigal 
Son  the  father  does  more  for  his  son  than  justice  required, 
because  he  was  a  father.  Here  the  employer  does  more  be- 
cause he  is  a  man.  Each  acted  from  a  sense  of  the  worth 
of  the  human  life  with  which  he  was  dealing.  It  was  the 
same  sense  of  worth  and  sacredness  in  Jesus  which  prompted 
him  to  invent  these  parables. 

Do  we  find  ourselves  valuing  people  according  to  their 
utility  to  us,  or  do  we  have  an  active  feeling  of  their  human 
interest  and  worth?  Let  us  run  over  in  our  minds  our  family 
and  relatives,  our  professors  and  friends,  and  the  people  in 
town  who  serve  us,  and  see  with  whom  we  are  on  a  human 
footing. 

Seventh  Day  :   The  Courtesy  of  Jesus 

And  early  in  the  morning  he  came  again  into  the 
temple,  and  all  the  people  came  unto  him;  and  he  sat 
down,  and  taught  them.  And  the  scribes  and  the 
Pharisees  bring  a  woman  taken  in  adultery;  and  hav- 
ing set  her  in  the  midst,  they  say  unto  him,  Teacher, 
this  woman  hath  been  taken  in  adultery,  in  the  very 
act.  Now  in  the  law  Moses  commanded  us  to  stone 
such:  what  then  sayest  thou  of  her?  And  this  they 
said,  trying  him  that  they  might  have  whereof  to 
accuse  him.  But  Jesus  stooped  down,  and  with  his 
finger  wrote  on  the  ground.  But  when  they  continued 
asking  him,  he  lifted  up  himself,  and  said  unto  them, 
He  that  is  without  sin  among  you,  let  him  first  cast  a 
stone  at  her.  And  again  he  stooped  down  and  with 
his  finger  wrote  on  the  ground.  And  they,  when  they 
heard  it,  went  out  one  by  one,  beginning  from  the 
eldest,  even  unto  the  last :  and  Jesus  was  left  alone, 
and  the  woman,  where  she  was,  in  the  midst.  And 
Jesus  lifted  up  himself,  and  said  unto  her,  Woman, 


[I-s]        THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

where  are  they?  did  no  man  condemn  thee?  And 
she  said,  No  man,  Lord.  And  Jesus  said,  Neither 
do  I  condemn  thee;  go  thy  way;  from  henceforth  sin 
no  more. — John  8:  2-11. 

Was  there  ever  a  more  gentlemanly  handling  of  a  raw 
situation?  This  woman  was  going  through  one  of  the  most 
harrowing  experiences  conceivable,  exposed  to  the  gaze  of  a 
leering  and  scornful  crowd,  her  good  name  torn  away,  her 
self-respect  crushed.  Jesus  shielded  her  from  stoning  by  the 
power  of  his  personality  and  his  consummate  skill  in  handling 
men.  He  got  inside  their  guard,  aroused  their  own  sense  of 
past  guilt,  and  so  awakened  some  human  fellow-feehng  for 
the  woman.  When  he  was  alone  with  her,  what  a  mingling 
of  kindness  and  severity !  Surely  she  would  carry  away  the 
memory  of  a  wonderful  friend  who  came  to  her  in  her  dire 
need.  Why  did  Jesus  twice  turn  his  eyes  away  to  the  ground? 
Was  he  ashamed  to  look  at  her  shame? 

Such  a  sudden,  tragic  happening  is  a  severe  test  of  a  man's 
qualities.  It  brought  out  the  courtesy  of  Jesus,  his  respect  for 
human  personality  even  in  its  shame.  How  can  we  train  our- 
selves so  that  we  may  be  equal  to  such  emergencies^  Would 
continued  spiritual  contact  with  Jesus  be  likely  to  make  a 
difference  ? 

Study  for  the  Week 

The  passages  we  have  studied  are  inductive  material.  Can 
there  be  any  doubt  that  Jesus  had  a  spontaneous  love  for  his 
fellow-men  and  a  deep  sense  of  the  sacredness  of  human 
personality?  Physical  deformity  and  moral  guilt  could  not 
obscure  the  divine  worth  of  human  life  to  him.  To  cause  any 
soul  to  stumble  and  go  down,  or  to  express  contempt  for  any 
human  being,  was  to  him  a  horrible  guilt. 

I 

This  regard  for  human  life  was  based  on  the  same  social 


THE  VALUE  OF  LIFE  [I-s] 

instinct  which  every  normal  man  possesses.  But  with  Jesus  it 
was  so  strong  that  it  determined  all  his  viewpoints  and  activi- 
ties. He  affirmed  the  humane  instinct  consciously  and  intel- 
ligentl)',  and  raised  it  to  the  dignity  of  a  social  principle. 
This  alone  would  be  enough  to  mark  hira  out  as  a  new  type, 
prophetic  and  creative  of  a  new  development  of  the  race. 

Whence  did  Jesus  derive  the  strength  and  purity  of  his 
social  feeling?  Was  it  simply  the  endowment  of  a  finely  at- 
tuned nature?  Other  fine  minds  of  the  ancient  world  valued 
men  according  to  their  wealth,  their  rank,  their  power,  their 
education,  their  beauty.  Jesus  valued  men  as  such,  apart  from 
any  attractive  equipment.  Why?  "The  deeper  our  insight 
into  human  destiny  becomes,  the  more  sacred  does  every  in- 
dividual human  being  seem  to  us"  (Lotze).  The  respect  of 
Jesus  for  every  concrete  person  whom  he  met  was  due  to  his 
religious  insight  into  human  life  and  destiny.  But  how  did 
he  get  his  insight? 

Love  and  religion  have  the  power  of  idealistic  interpreta- 
tion. To  a  mother  her  child  is  a  wonderful  being.  To  a  true 
lover  the  girl  he  loves  has  sacredness.  With  Jesus  the  con- 
sciousness of  a  God  of  love  revealed  the  beauty  of  men.  The 
old  gods  were  despotic  supermen,  mythical  duplicates  of  the 
human  kings  and  conquerors.  The  God  of  Jesus  was  the 
great  Father  who  lets  his  light  shine  on  the  just  and  the  un- 
just, and  offers  forgiveness  and  love  to  all.  Jesus  lived  in 
the  spiritual  atmosphere  of  that  faith.  Consequently  he  saw 
men  from  that  point  of  view.  They  were  to  him  children  of 
that  God.  Even  the  lowliest  was  high.  The  light  that  shone 
on  him  from  the  face  of  God  shed  a  splendor  on  the  prosaic 
ranks  of  men.  In  this  way  religion  enriches  and  illuminates 
social  feeling. 

Jesus  succeeded  in  transmitting  something  of  his  own  sense 
of  the  sacredness  of  life  to  his  followers.  As  Wundt  says: 
"Humanity  in  this  highest  sense  was  brought  into  the  world 
by  Christianity."  The  love  of  men  became  a  social  dogma 
of  the  Church.  Some  other  convictions  of  Jesus  left  few 
traces    on    the    common    thought    of    Christendom,    but    the 


[I-s]       THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

Church  has  always  stood  for  a  high  estimate  of  the  potential 
worth  of  the  soul  of  man.  It  has  always  taught  that  man 
was  made  in  God's  image  and  that  he  is  destined  to  share  in 
the  holiness  and  eternal  life  of  God. 

II 

What  effects  has  this  registered  on  social  conduct?  Has 
the  Church  intelligently  resisted  social  forces  or  conditions 
which  brutalized  or  shamed  men? 

It  is  most  difficult  to  estimate  accurately  the  historic  in- 
fluence of  religious  ideas.  They  are  subtle  and  hard  to  trace. 
But  we  can  justly  reason  from  our  own  observations  in 
evangelism  and  foreign  mission  work.  Those  of  us  who 
have  gone  through  a  clearly  marked  conversion  to  Christian- 
ity will  probably  remember  that  we  realized  our  fellow-men 
with  a  new  warmth  and  closeness,  and  under  higher  points  of 
view.  We  were  then  entering  into  the  Christian  valuation 
of  human  life.  In  foreign  missions  the  influence  of  Chris- 
tianity can  be  contrasted  with  non-Christian  social  life,  and 
there  is  often  a  striking  rise  in  the  respect  for  life  and  per- 
sonality as  compared  with  the  hardness  and  callousness  of 
heathen  society.  This  is  one  of  the  distinctive  marks  of  the 
modern  and  Western  world  compared  with  the  ancient  and 
the  Oriental.  Those  individuals  among  us  who  have  really 
duplicated  something  of  the  spirit  of  Jesus  are  always  marked 
by  their  loving  regard  for  human  life,  even  its  wreckage. 
That  sense  of  sacredness  is  the  basis  for  the  whole  mission- 
ary and  philanthropic  activity  of  Christian  men  and  women. 

It  is  also  an  important  force  in  the  social  movements.  Have 
there  been  any  widespread,  continuous,  and  successful  move- 
ments for  social  justice  outside  of  the  territory  influenced  by 
Christianity?  Was  there  any  causal  connection  between  the 
historic  reformation  and  purification  of  Christianity  since  the 
sixteenth  century  and  the  rise  of  civil  and  social  democracy? 
Does  the  spread  of  Christian  ideas  and  feelings  predispose 
the  powerful  classes  to  make  concessions  ?    What  contribution 

10 


THE  VALUE  OF  LIFE  [I-s] 

did  the  Wesleyan  revival  among  the  working  people  of  Eng- 
land make  tov^rard  the  rise  of  the  trade  union  movement,  the 
education  of  stable  leaders,  and  the  faith  in  democracy?  It 
takes  idealistic  convictions  a  long  time  to  permeate  large 
social  classes,  but  they  often  spring  into  effectiveness  sud- 
denly. Certainly  a  belief  in  the  worth  and  capacity  of  the 
common  man  is  a  spiritual  support  of  democratic  institutions, 
and  where  the  Church  really  spread  the  Christian  sense  of 
the  worth  and  sacredness  of  human  life,  it  has  been  a  great 
stabilizer  of  civil  liberty. 

Jesus  asserted  with  religious  power  what  all  men  feel. 
Sometimes  it  requires  the  solemn  presence  of  death  to  brush 
aside  the  artificial  distinctions  of  society  and  to  make  us 
realize  that  a  life  is  a  life,  and  precious  as  such.  But  when 
we  are  at  our  best,  we  do  feel  the  sacredness  of  human  life. 

Ill 

Does  our  present  social  order  develop  or  neutralize  that 
feeling  in  us? 

Presumably  it  works  both  ways.  For  those  who  want  to 
spread  the  spirit  of  Christ,  it  becomes  important  to  inquire 
at  what  points  our  social  institutions  cheapen  life  and  take 
the  value  out  of  personality. 

The  class  differences  inherited  from  the  past  are  designed 
to  hedge  the  upper  classes  about  with  honor,  but  they  neces- 
sarily depreciate  the  lower  classes  by  contrast  and  neutralize 
the  tie  of  the  common  blood.  In  some  countries  the  self- 
respect  of  the  lower  classes  is  affronted  by  degrading  forms 
of  legal  punishment  reserved  for  them.  Forms  of  servility 
are  exacted  from  servants  and  peasants.  The  practical  work- 
ing of  class  differences  is  most  clearly  seen  in  the  relation 
of  the  sexes.  Love  is  a  great  equalizer ;  hence  it  clashes  with 
class  pride.  The  plot  of  innumerable  dramas  and  novels 
turns  on  the  efforts  of  love  to  overcome  the  laws  of  social 
caste.  Where  class  spirit  is  traditional  and  fully  developed, 
men  have  a  double  code  for  the  women  of  their  own  class 

II 


[I-s]        THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

and  those  of  the  lower  classes.  It  is  a  far  greater  offense 
for  a  gentleman  to  marry  a  girl  of  the  lower  class  than  to 
ruin  her. 

It  is  the  glory  of  America  that  our  laws  do  not  intend  to 
recognize  class  differences.  The  conditions  of  life  on  a  raw 
continent  and  the  principles  embodied  in  religious  and  politi- 
cal idealism  fortunately  cooperated.  Will  this  last,  or  are  the 
great  differences  in  wealth  once  more  resulting  in  definite 
class  lines  and  in  class  pride  and  contempt?  What  does  the 
phrase  "of  good  family"  imply  by  contrast?  What  evidence 
does  college  fraternity  life  offer  as  to  the  existence  of  social 
classes?  How  is  immigration  likely  to  increase  the  cleavages 
by  adding  differences  of  race  and  color,  religion,  language, 
and  manners?  What  light  does  the  history  of  immigration 
in  America  cast  on  our  valuation  of  human  life  in  strangers? 

Political  oligarchies  have  usually  defended  their  rule  by  the 
assumption  that  the  masses  are  incapable  and  the  few  are 
superior.  The  laws  made  by  them,  however,  have  usually 
shown  ignorance  and  indifference  as  to  the  human  needs  of 
the  working  masses.  The  same  fundamental  adjustment 
exists  in  industry.  It  is  not  an  expression  of  the  worth  of 
the  working  people  if  they  have  no  right  to  organize  or  to 
share  in  governing  the  conditions  under  which  they  work,  and 
if  years  of  good  work  earn  a  man  no  ownership  or  equity, 
no  legal  standing  or  even  tenure  of  employment  in  a  business. 
Is  the  right  to  petition  for  a  redress  of  grievances  an  ade- 
quate industrial  expression  of  the  Christian  doctrine  of  the 
worth  and  sacredness  of  personality?  Is  not  property  essen- 
tial to  the  real  freedom  and  self-expression  of  a  human 
personality  ? 

War  and  prostitution  are  the  most  flagrant  offenses  against 
this  social  principle.  War  is  a  wholesale  waster  of  life. 
Prostitution  is  the  worst  form  of  contempt  for  personality. 

Does  our  intellectual  and  scientific  work  ever  tend  to  chill 
the  warm  sense  of  human  values?  Do  we  acquire  something 
of  the  impassiveness  of  Nature  in  studying  her  enormous 
waste  of  life?     Do  we  transfer  to  human  affairs  her  readi- 

12 


THE  VALUE  OF  LIFE  [I-s] 

ness  to  use  up  the  masses  in  order  to  produce  a  higher  type? 
Jesus  did  not  talk  about  eliminating  the  unfit.  He  talked 
about  saving  them,  which  requires  greater  constructive 
energy  if  it  is  really  to  be  done.  It  also  requires  a  higher 
faith  in  the  latent  recuperative  capacities  of  human  nature. 
The  detached  attitude  of  scientific  study  may  combine  with 
our  plentiful  natural  egotism  to  create  a  cold  indifference 
toward  the  less  attractive  masses  of  humanity.  We  need  the 
glow  of  Christ's  feeling  for  men  to  come  unharmed  out  of 
this  intellectual  temptation. 

IV 

Doubtless  the  objection  has  arisen  in  our  minds  that  it  is 
not  in  the  interest  of  the  future  of  the  race  that  religious  pity 
shall  coddle  and  multiply  the  weak,  or  put  them  in  control 
of  society. 

But  did  Jesus  want  the  weak  to  stay  weak?  Was  his  social 
feeling  ever  maudlin?  He  was  himself  a  powerful  and  free 
personality,  who  refused  to  be  suppressed  or  conformed  to 
the  dominant  type.  He  challenged  the  existing  authorities, 
one  against  the  field.  Even  in  the  slender  record  we  have  of 
him  we  can  see  him  running  the  gamut  of  emotions  from 
wrath  and  invective  to  tenderness  and  humor.  It  was 
precisely  his  own  powerful  individuality  which  made  him  de- 
mand for  others  the  right  to  become  free  and  strong  souls. 
Other  powerful  individuals  have  used  up  the  rest  as  means 
to  their  end.  What  human  life  or  character  did  Jesus  weaken 
or  break  down?  He  was  an  emancipator,  a  creator  of  strong 
men.  His  followers  in  later  times  did  lay  a  new  yoke  on  the 
spirits  of  men  and  denied  them  the  right  to  think  their  own 
thoughts  and  be  themselves.  But  the  spirit  of  Jesus  is  an 
awakening  force.  Even  the  down-and-out  brace  up  when 
they  come  in  contact  with  him,  and  feel  that  they  are  still 
good  for  something. 

"Jesus  Christ  was  the  first  to  bring  the  value  of  every 
human  soul  to  light,  and  what  he  did  no  one  can  any  more 

13 


[I-s]        THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

undo"  (Harnack).  But  it  remains  for  every  individual  to 
accept  and  reaffirm  that  religious  faith  as  his  own  guiding 
principle  according  to  which  he  proposes  to  live.  We  shall 
be  at  one  with  the  spirit  of  Christianity  and  of  modern 
civilization  if  we  approach  all  men  with  the  expectation  of 
finding  beneath  commonplace,  sordid,  or  even  repulsive  exter- 
nals some  qualities  of  love,  loyalty,  heroism,  aspiration,  or 
repentance,  which  prove  the  divine  in  man.  Kant  expressed 
that  reverence  for  personality  in  his  doctrine  that  we  must 
never  treat  a  man  as  a  means  only,  but  always  as  an  end  in 
himself.  So  far  as  our  civilization  treats  men  merely  as  labor 
force,  fit  to  produce  wealth  for  the  few,  it  is  not  yet  Chris- 
tian. Any  man  who  treats  his  fellows  in  that  way,  blunts 
his  higher  nature;  as  Fichte  says,  whoever  treats  another  as 
a  slave,  becomes  a  slave.  We  might  add,  whoever  treats  him 
as  a  child  of  God,  becomes  a  child  of  God  and  learns  to 
know  God. 

"The  principle  of  reverence  for  personality  is  the  ruling 
principle  in  ethics,  and  in  religion;  it  constitutes,  therefore, 
the  truest  and  highest  test  of  either  an  individual  or  a 
civilization;  it  has  been,  even  unconsciously,  the  guiding  and 
determining  principle  in  all  human  progress ;  and  in  its  re- 
ligious interpretation,  it  is,  indeed,  the  one  faith  that  keeps 
meaning  and  value  for  life"  (President  Henry  C.  King). 

Suggestions  for  Thought  and  Discussion 

I.  The  Ordinary  Estimate  of  Men 

1.  How  much  do  we  care  for  a  man  if  he  is  of  no  prac- 
tical use  to  us? 

2.  On  what  basis  do  we  ordinarily  value  men? 

II.  Jesus'  Estimate   of  Men 

I.    Which  source  passages  in  the  daily  readings  seemed 
to  put  the  feeling  of  Jesus  in  the  clearest  light? 

14 


THE  VALUE  OF  LIFE  [I-s] 

2.  How  did  the  religious  insight  of  Jesus  reenforce  his 
social  feeling? 

3.  To  what  extent  is  it  possible  to  duplicate  his  sense  of 
humanity  without  his  consciousness  of  God? 

HI.    The  Valuation  of  the  Individual  in  Modern  Life 

1.  List  the  evidences  that  modern  society  values  men  as 
such  apart  from  economic  utility  or  standing,  or  show  that 
it  does  not  so  value  them. 

2.  Is  the  tendency  in  modern  life  toward  a  lower  or 
higher  valuation  of  the  individual?  To  what  extent  is  this 
due  to  the  influence  of  Christianity? 

3.  How  do  the  statistics  of  industrial  accidents  agree 
with  our  Christian  valuation  of  life? 

IV.  The  Test  of  History 

1.  What  widespread  and  successful  movements  for 
social  justice  have  there  been  outside  the  territory  influ- 
enced by  Christianity? 

2.  How  do  modem  missions  serve  as  an  experiment 
station  for  the  problem  of  this  chapter? 

3.  What  connection  was  there  between  the  Wesleyan 
revival  and  the  rise  of  the  trade  union  movement  in  Eng- 
land? 

V.  For  Special  Discussion 

1.  Do  permanent  class  diflferences  necessarily  result  in 
a  slighter  social  feeling  for  the  inferior  class? 

2.  Describe  the  class  lines  drawn  in  your  home  town. 

3.  Did  you  feel  these  lines  more  or  less  when  you  entered 
college  ? 

4.  Does  college  life  tend  to  make  us  callous  or  sym- 
pathetic? 

5.  Does  life  in  social  settlements  seem  to  increase  or 

IS 


[I-s]        THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

decrease    respect    for   human    nature    in    college   men    and 
women  ? 

6.  How  would  you  preserve  your  self-respect  if  you 
were  a  working  man  placed  in  degrading  labor  conditions? 

7.  Does  an  honor  system  build  up  self-respect? 

8.  Have  your  scientific  studies,  and  especially  evolu- 
tionary teachings,  increased  your  regard  for  humanity  in 
the  mass? 

9.  According  to  your  observation,  does  religion  make 
a  man  a  stronger  or  weaker  personality? 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  SOLIDARITY  OF  THE  HUMAN 
FAMILY 

Men  Belong  Together 

Every  man  has  worth  and  sacredness  as  a  man.  We 
fixed  on  that  as  the  simplest  and  most  fundamental  social 
principle  of  Jesus.  The  second  question  is,  What  relation 
do  men  bear  to   each  other? 

Daily  Readings 

First  Day  :  The  Social  Impulse  and  the  Law  of  Christ 

And  one  of  them,  a  lawyer,  asked  him  a  question, 
trying  him :  Teacher,  which  is  the  great  commandment 
in  the  law?  And  he  said  unto  him.  Thou  shalt  love 
the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy 
soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind.  This  is  the  great  and 
first  commandment.  And  a  second  like  unto  it  is 
this,  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.  On 
these  two  commandments  the  whole  law  hangeth, 
and  the  prophets. — Matt.  22 :  35-40. 

Which  among  the  multitudinous  prescriptions  of  the  Jewish 
law  ought  to  take  precedence  of  the  rest?  It  was  a  fine 
academic  question  for  church  lawyers  to  discuss.  Jesus 
passed  by  all  ceremonial  and  ecclesiastical  requirements, 
and  put  his  hand  on  love  as  the  central  law  of  life,  both  in 
religion  and  ethics.  It  was  a  great  simplification  and  spirit- 
ualization  of  religion.  But  love  is  the  social  instinct  which 
binds  man  and  man  together  and  makes  them  indispensable 
to  one  another.  Whoever  demands  love,  demands  solidarity. 
Whoever  sets  love  first,  sets  fellowship  high. 

17 


[II-2J      THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

When  Jesus  speaks  of  love,  what  more  than  mere  emotion 
does  he  mean? 

Is  love  really  the  highest  thing? 

What  do  you  think  of  the  epigram  of  Augustine:  Ama  et 
fac  quod  vis? 

Second  Day:  Jesus  Craving  Friendship 

Then  cometh  Jesus  with  them  unto  a  place  called 
Gethsemane,  and  saith  unto  his  disciples,  Sit  ye  here, 
while  I  go  yonder  and  pray.  And  he  took  with  him 
Peter  and  the  two  sons  of  Zebedee,  and  began  to 
be  sorrowful  and  sore  troubled.  Then  saith  he  unto 
them.  My  soul  is  exceeding  sorrowful,  even  unto 
death :  abide  ye  here,  and  watch  with  me.  And  he 
went  forward  a  little,  and  fell  on  his  face,  and 
prayed,  saying.  My  Father,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this 
cup  pass  away  from  me :  nevertheless,  not  as  I  will, 
but  as  thou  wilt.  And  he  cometh  unto  the  disciples, 
and  findeth  them  sleeping,  and  saith  unto  Peter, 
What,  could  ye  not  watch  with  me  one  hour? 
Watch  and  pray,  that  ye  enter  not  into  temptation: 
the  spirit  indeed  is  willing,  but  the  flesh  is  weak. 
Again  a  second  time  he  went  away,  and  prayed, 
saying.  My  Father,  if  this  cannot  pass  away,  except 
I  drink  it,  thy  will  be  done.  And  he  came  again 
and  found  them  sleeping,  for  their  eyes  were  heavy. 
And  he  left  them  again,  and  went  away,  and  prayed 
a  third  time,  saying  again  the  same  words.  Then 
cometh  he  to  the  disciples,  and  saith  unto  them. 
Sleep  on  now,  and  take  your  rest :  behold,  the  hour 
is  at  hand,  and  the  Son  of  man  is  betrayed  into  the 
hands  of  sinners.  Arise,  let  us  be  going:  behold, 
he  is  at  hand  that  betrayeth  me. — Matt.  26 :  36-46. 

Jesus  was  personally  very  sociable.  He  evidently  enjoyed 
mixing  with  people.  He  liked  the  give-and-take  of  life.  He 
had  friendships.  A  group  of  men  and  women  gathered 
around  him  who  gave  him  their  devoted  loyalty.  He  in 
turn  needed  them.    The  denial  of  Peter  and  the  betrayal  of 

18 


SOLIDARITY  OF  THE  HUMAN  FAMILY    [II-3] 

Judas  hurt  him,  partly  because  they  were  defections  from 
the  comradeship  of  his  group.  In  Gethsemane  he  craved 
friendship.  He  prayed  to  God,  but  he  reached  out  for  Peter 
and  John.  The  longing  for  friendship  and  the  unrest  of 
loneliness  are  proof  of  a  truly  human  and  social  nature. 

In  how  far  is  a  need  for  others  a  sign  of  strength  or  of 
weakness? 

What  connection  has  the  spirit  of  a  team,  or  the  loyalty  of 
a  college  class,  with  the  Christian  law  of  love? 

Third  Day:  Restoring  Solidarity 

Then  came  Peter  and  said  to  him,  Lord,  how  oft 
shall  my  brother  sin  against  me,  and  I  forgive  him? 
until  seven  times?  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  I  say  not 
unto  thee.  Until  seven  times;  but,  Until  seventy  times 
seven. — Matt.  18:  21-22. 

Love  binds  together;  hate  and  anger  cut  apart.  They 
destroy  fellowship.  Therefore  the  chief  effort  of  the  Chris- 
tian spirit  must  be  to  reestablish  fellowship  wherever  men 
have  been  sundered  by  ill-will.  This  is  done  by  confession 
and  forgiveness.  Forgiveness  was  so  important  to  Jesus 
because  social  unity  was  so  important  to  him.  In  the  Lord's 
Prayer  he  makes  full  fellowship  with  men  a  condition  of 
full  fellowship  with  God :  "Forgive  us  our  debts,  as  we  have 
forgiven  our  debtors." 

Are  there  any  personal  injuries  which  are  beyond  forgive- 
ness? 

Think  back  to  any  striking  experience  of  forgiving  or  being 
forgiven.  What  was  the  religious  and  moral  reaction  on 
your  life? 

FoxjRTH  Day  :  The  Christian  Intensification  of  Love 

Hereby  know  we  love,  because  he  laid  down  his  life 
for  us :  and  we  ought  to  lay  down  our  lives  for  the 
brethren.     But  whoso  hath   the  world's  goods,  and 

19 


[II-5]      THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

beholdeth  his  brother  in  need,  and  shutteth  up  his 
compassion  from  him,  how  doth  the  love  of  God 
abide  in  him?  My  little  children,  let  us  not  love  in 
word,  neither  with  the  tongue;  but  in  deed  and 
truth.— I  John  3:  16-18. 

Beloved,  let  us  love  one  another :  for  love  is  of 
God;  and  every  one  that  loveth  is  begotten  of  God, 
and  knoweth  God.  He  that  loveth  not  knoweth  not 
God;  for  God  is  love.  Herein  was  the  love  of  God 
manifested  in  us,  that  God  hath  sent  his  only  be- 
gotten Son  into  the  world  that  we  might  live  through 
him. — I  John  4:  7-9. 

Beloved,  if  God  so  loved  us,  we  also  ought  to  love 
one  another.  No  man  hath  beheld  God  at  any  time : 
if  we  love  one  another,  God  abideth  in  us,  and  his 
love  is  perfected  in  us. — I  John  4:  11-12. 

These  are  quotations  from  one  of  the  early  Christian  writ- 
ings. They  are  evidence  of  the  emphasis  put  on  love  as  a 
distinctive  doctrine  of  the  new  religion.  Note  how  the 
natural  social  instinct  of  human  affection  is  intensified  and 
uplifted  by  religious  motives  and  forces.  Which  of  these 
motives  are  directly  taken  from  the  personality  and  life  of 
Christ? 

Do  you  remember  any  quotations  from  non-Christian  litera- 
ture in  which  a  similar  love  for  love  is  expressed? 

Fifth  Day:  Solidaristic  Responsibility 

Then  began  he  to  upbraid  the  cities  wherein  most 
of  his  mighty  works  were  done,  because  they  repented 
not.  Woe  unto  thee,  Chorazin !  woe  unto  thee,  Beth- 
saida  I  for  if  the  mighty  works  had  been  done  in 
Tyre  and  Sidon  which  were  done  in  you,  they 
would  have  repented  long  ago  in  sackcloth  and 
ashes.  But  I  say  unto  you,  it  shall  be  more  tolerable 
for  Tyre  and  Sidon  in  the  day  of  judgment,  than 
for  you.    And  thou,  Capernaum,  shalt  thou  be  exalted 

20 


SOLIDARITY  OF  THE  HUMAN  FAMILY    [II-6] 

unto  heaven  ?  thou  shalt  go  down  unto  Hades :  for 
if  the  mighty  works  had  been  done  in  Sodom  which 
were  done  in  thee,  it  would  have  remained  until  this 
day.  But  I  say  unto  you  that  it  shall  be  more  toler- 
able for  the  land  of  Sodom  in  the  day  of  judgment, 
than  for  thee. — Matt,  ii:  20-24. 

We  know  that  by  constant  common  action  a  social  group 
develops  a  common  spirit  and  common  standards  of  action, 
which  then  assimilate  and  standardize  the  actions  of  its 
members.  Jesus  felt  the  solidarity  of  the  neighborhood 
groups  in  Galilee  with  whom  he  mingled.  He  treated  them 
as  composite  personalities,  jointly  responsible  for  their  moral 
decisions. 

What  groups  of  which  we  have  been  a  Part  in  the  past  have 
stamped  us  imth  the  group  character  for  good  or  evil?  How 
about  those  of  which  we  are  now  a  part? 

What  have  we  learned  from  the  Great  War  about  national 
solidarity? 

Sixth  Day:  The  Solidarity  of  the  Generations 

Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites ! 
for  ye  build  the  sepulchres  of  the  prophets,  and 
garnish  the  tombs  of  the  righteous,  and  say,  H  we  had 
been  in  the  days  of  our  fathers,  we  should  not  have 
been  partakers  with  them  in  the  blood  of  the  prophets. 
Wherefore  ye  witness  to  yourselves,  that  ye  are  sons 
of  them  that  slew  the  prophets.  Fill  ye  up  then  the 
measure  of  your  fathers.  Ye  serpents,  ye  offspring  of 
vipers,  how  shall  ye  escape  the  judgment  of  hell? 
Therefore,  behold,  I  send  unto  you  prophets,  and  wise 
men,  and  scribes :  some  of  them  shall  ye  kill  and 
crucify;  and  some  of  them  shall  ye  scourge  in  your 
synagogues,  and  persecute  from  city  to  city:  that 
upon  you  may  come  all  the  righteous  blood  shed  on 
the  earth,  from  the  blood  of  Abel  the  righteous  unto 
the  blood  of  Zachariah  son  of  Barachiah,  whom  ye 
slew  between  the  sanctuary  and  the  altar.  Verily  I 
21 


[II-7]      THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

say  unto  you,  All  these  things  shall  come  upon  this 
generation. — Matt.  23:  29-36. 

Jesus  saw  a  moral  solidarity  existing,  not  only  between 
contemporaries  who  act  together,  but  between  generations 
that  act  alike.  Every  generation  clings  to  its  profitable  wrongs 
and  tries  to  silence  those  who  stand  for  higher  righteousness. 
Posterity  takes  comfort  in  being  fairer  about  the  dead  issues, 
but  is  just  as  hot  and  bad  about  present  issues.  The  sons 
reenact  the  old  tragedies  on  a  new  stage,  and  so  line  up  with 
their  fathers.  In  looking  back  over  the  history  of  his  nation, 
Jesus  saw  a  continuity  of  wrong  which  bound  the  genera- 
tions together  in  a  solidarity  of  guilt. 

Does  the  connection  consist  only  in  similarity  of  action, 
or  is  there  a  causal  continuity  of  wrong  in  the  life  of  a 
community? 

Is  there  anything  in  our  personal  family  history  or  family 
wealth  and  business  which  threatens  to  line  us  up  with  past 
evils  f 


Seventh  Day:  Social  Consciousness  in  the  Lord's  Prayer 

After  this  manner  therefore  pray  ye:  Our  Father 
who  art  in  heaven.  Hallowed  be  thy  name.  Thy  king- 
dom come.  Thy  will  be  done,  as  in  heaven,  so  on 
earth.  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread.  And 
forgive  us  our  debts,  as  we  also  have  forgiven  our 
debtors.  And  bring  us  not  into  temptation,  but 
deliver  us  from  the  evil  one. — Matt.  6:9-13. 

Is  there  anything  more  solitary  than  a  human  soul  calling 
to  the  invisible  Presence?  Is  there  anything  more  social  in 
consciousness   than  the  Lord's   Prayer? 

Where  in  these  petitions  do  you  feel  the  sense  of  social 
coherence  as  the  unspoken  presupposition  of  the  thought?^ 


■Rauschenbusch,  "Prayers  of  the  Social  Awakening,"  p.  is,  on  "  The  Social 
Meaning  of  the  Lord's  Prayer." 

22 


SOLIDARITY  OF  THE  HUMAN  FAMILY    [II-s] 

Could  Jesus  have  thought  this  prayer  if  the  unity  of  the 
race  had  not  been  both  an  instinctive  reality  and  a  clear 
social  principle  with  him? 

Study  for  the  Week 

That  man  is  a  social  being  is  the  fundamental  fact  with 
which  all  social  sciences  have  to  deal.  We  may  like  or  dislike 
people;  we  can  not  well  be  indifferent  to  them  if  they  get 
close  to  us.  As  Sartor  Resartus  puts  it :  "In  vain  thou 
deniest  it;  thou  art  my  brother.  Thy  very  hatred,  thy  very 
envy,  those  foolish  lies  thou  tellest  of  me  in  thy  splenetic 
humour;  what  is  all  this  but  an  inverted  sympathy?  Were  I 
a  steam-engine,  wouldst  thou  take  the  trouble  to  tell  lies 
of  me?" 

Sex  admiration,  parental  love,  "the  dear  love  of  comrades," 
the  thrill  of  patriotism,  the  joy  of  play,  are  all  forms  of 
fellowship.  They  give  us  happiness  because  they  satisfy  our 
social  instinct.  To  realize  our  unity  gives  relish  to  life.  To 
be  thrust  out  of  fellowship  is  the  great  pain.  Many  evil 
things  get  their  attractiveness  mainly  through  the  fact  that 
they  create  a  bit  of  fellowship — such  as  it  is.  The  slender 
thread  of  good  in  the  saloon  is  comradeship.  (See  Jack 
London,  "John  Barleycorn,") 


None  ever  felt  this  social  unity  of  our  race  more  deeply 
than  Jesus.  To  him  it  was  sacred  and  divine.  Hence  his 
emphasis  on  love  and  forgiveness.  He  put  his  personality 
behind  the  natural  instinct  of  social  attraction  and  en- 
couraged it.  He  swung  the  great  force  of  religion  around 
to  bear  on  it  and  drive  it  home.  Anything  that  substitutes 
antagonism  for  fraternity  is  evil  to  him.  Just  as  in  the  case 
of  the  natural  respect  for  human  life  and  personality,  so  in 
the  case  of  the  natural  social  cohesion  of  men,  he  lifted  the 
blind  instinct  of  human  nature  by  the  insight  of  religion  and 

23 


[II-s]       THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

constituted  it  a  fundamental  principle  of  life.  It  is  the 
business  of  Christianity  to  widen  the  area  of  comradeship. 

Common  human  judgment  assents  to  the  valuation  of  Jesus. 
Wherever  an  effective  and  stable  form  of  fellowship  has 
been  created,  a  sense  of  sacredness  begins  to  attach  to  it,  and 
men  defend  it  as  a  sort  of  shrine  of  the  divine  in  man. 
Wherever  men  are  striving  to  create  a  larger  fellowship, 
they  have  religious  enthusiasm  as  if  they  were  building  a 
temple  for  God.     This  is  the  heart  of  church  loyalty. 

The  family  is  the  most  striking  case  of  solidarity.  It  is 
first  formed  of  two  units  at  opposite  poles  in  point  of  sex, 
experience,  taste,  need,  and  aims;  and  when  they  form  it, 
they  usually  have  as  much  sense  of  sacredness  as  their 
character  is  capable  of  feeling.  When  children  are  added, 
more  divergences  of  age,  capacity,  and  need  are  injected. 
Yet  out  of  these  contradictory  elements  a  social  fellowship 
is  built  up,  which,  in  the  immense  majority  of  cases,  defies 
the  shocks  of  life  and  the  strain  of  changing  moods  and 
needs,  forms  the  chief  source  of  contentment  for  the  ma- 
jority of  men  and  women,  and,  when  conspicuously  successful, 
wins  the  spontaneous  tribute  of  reverence  from  all  right- 
thinking  persons.  In  using  the  equipment  of  the  home,  in 
standing  by  one  another  in  time  of  sickness  and  trouble,  and 
in  spiritual  sympathy,  a  true  family  practices  solidarity  of 
interests,  and  furnishes  the  chief  education  in  cooperation. 

Political  unity  was  at  first  an  expansion  of  family  unity. 
The  passionate  loyalty  with  which  a  nation  defends  its 
country  and  its  freedom,  is  not  simply  a  defence  of  real  estate 
and  livestock,  but  of  its  national  brotherhood  and  sohdarity. 
The  devotion  with  which  people  suffer  and  die  for  their 
State  is  all  the  more  remarkable  because  all  States  hitherto 
have  been  largely  organizations  for  coercion  and  exploitation, 
and  only  in  part  real  fraternal  communities.  Patriotism 
hitherto  has  been  largely  a  prophetic  outreaching  toward  a 
great  fellowship  nowhere  realized.    The  peoples  walk  by  faith. 

What  evidence  does  college  life  furnish  us  of  the  fact  that 
social  unity  is  realized  with  some  sense  of  sacredness?    Why 

24 


SOLIDARITY  OF  THE  HUMAN  FAMILY    [II-sJ 

do  the  years  in  college  stand  out  in  the  later  memories  of 
graduates  with  such  a  glamour?  Why  do  students  devote  so 
much  unpaid  service  to  their  teams  and  fraternities?  Is  it 
for  the  selfish  advantages  they  hope  to  get,  or  because  they 
feel  they  are  realizing  the  best  of  life  in  being  part  of  a 
solidaristic  group?  Do  the  dangers  of  college  organizations 
prove  or*  disprove  the  principle  that  fellowship  is  felt  to  be 
something  sacred? 

Any  historical  event  in  which  men  stood  by  their  group 
through  sufifering  or  to  death  is  remembered  with  pride.  Any 
case  of  desertion  or  betrayal  is  remembered  with  shame. 
No  group  forgives  those  who  sell  out  its  solidarity  for  private 
safety  or  profit. 

Insurance  and  cooperation  are  two  great  demonstrations  of 
the  power  of  solidarity.  In  insurance  we  bear  one  another's 
burdens,  "and  so  fulfil  the  law  of  Christ."  The  cooperative 
associations,  which  have  had  such  enormous  success  in  Europe, 
succeed  only  where  neighborhood  or  common  idealistic  con- 
viction has  previously  established  a  consciousness  of  social 
unity.  They  have  to  overcome  the  most  adverse  conditions 
in  achieving  success.  When  they  do,  the  effect  on  the 
economic  prosperity  of  the  people  and  on  their  moral  stability 
and  progressiveness  is  remarkable. 

II 

Thus  the  instincts  of  the  race  assent  to  the  social  principle 
of  Jesus,  that  fellowship  is  sacred.  The  chief  law  of  Chris- 
tianity does  not  contradict  the  social  nature  of  man  but 
expresses  and  reenforces  it.  It  is  the  special  function  of 
Christians  to  promote  social  unity  and  expand  its  blessings. 
To  do  this  intelligently  we  should  take  note  where,  at  present, 
solidarity  is  frustrated. 

For  instance,  it  is  important  to  inquire  how  social  unity  is 
negatived  in  commercial  life.  Is  competition  necessarily  un- 
fraternal?  Would  a  Socialist  organization  of  society  neces- 
sarily be  fraternal?     Is  it  a  denial  of   fellowship  to  exact 

25 


[II-s]      THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

monopoly  profit  from  consumers,  or  to  take  advantage  of  the 
ignorance  or  necessities  of  a  buyer?  Is  the  law  of  the 
market  compatible  with  a  fraternal  conception  of  society? 

Where  can  you  trace  the  principle  of  solidarity  actually 
at  work  in  industrial  life?  Give  cases  where  you  have 
observed  a  real  sense  of  human  coherence  and  loyalty  between 
employer  and  employes.  How  had  the  feeling  been  promoted 
in  those  cases  and  what  effect  did  it  have  on  the  economic 
relations  of  the  two  groups?  Why  is  the  feeling  of  antago- 
nism between  these  groups  so  common?  Does  the  wages 
system  make  this  inevitable?  How  ought  we  to  value  the 
willingness  of  organized  labor  to  stand  together,  especially 
on  strike,  and  what  connection  does  the  bitterness  toward 
"scabs"  have  with  our  subject? 

War  is  a  rupture  of  fellowship  on  a  large  scale.  The 
Great  War  of  1914  has  been  the  most  extensive  demonstration 
of  the  collapse  of  love  which  any  of  us  wants  to  see.  As 
soon  as  one  nation  no  longer  recognizes  its  social  unity  with 
another  nation,  all  morality  collapses,  and  a  deluge  of  hate, 
cruelty,  and  lies  follows.  The  problem  of  international  peace 
is  the  problem  of  expanding  the  area  of  love  and  social 
•unity.  It  is  the  sin  of  Christendom  tha^t  so  few  took  this 
problem  seriously  until  we  were  chastised  for  our  moral 
stupidity  and  inertia.  The  young  men  and  women  of  today 
will  have  to  take  this  problem  on  their  intellect  and  conscience 
for  their  lifetime,  and  propose  to  see  it  through. 

Ill 

Does  religion  create  social  unity  or  neutralize  it?  Does 
prayer  isolate  or  connect?  Has  the  force  of  religion  in 
human  history  done  more  to  divide  or  to  consolidate  men? 

Evidently  religion  may  work  both  ways,  and  all  who  are 
interested  in  it  must  see  to  it  that  their  religion  does  not 
escape  control  and  wreck  fraternity.  Even  mystic  prayer 
and  contemplation,  which  is  commonly  regarded  as  the  flower 
of  religious  life,  may  make  men  indifferent  to  their  fellows. 

26 


SOLIDARITY  OF  THE  HUMAN  FAMILY    [II-s]' 

It  is  worth  noting  that  the  prayer  experiences  of  Jesus  were 
not  ascetic  or  unsocial.  They  prepared  him  for  action.  When 
he  went  into  the  desert  after  his  baptism  it  was  to  settle  the 
principles  on  which  his  Messianic  work  was  to  be  done;  his 
temptations  prove  that.  When  he  went  out  from  Capernaum 
to  pray  "a  great  while  before  day,"  it  was  to  launch  his  aggres- 
sive missionary  campaign  among  the  Galilsean  villages. 
Prayer  may  be  an  emotional  dissipation.  Prayer  is  Chris- 
tian only  if  it  makes  us  realize  our  fellows  more  keenly  and 
affectionately. 

It  is  one  thing  to  praise  love  and  another  thing  to  practice 
it.  We  may  theorize  about  society  and  ourselves  be  contrary 
and  selfish  units  in  it.  Social  unity  is  an  achievement.  A 
loving  mind  toward  our  fellows,  even  the  cranky,  is  the  prize 
of  a  lifetime.  How  can  it  be  evoked  and  cultivated  in  us? 
That  is  one  of  the  most  important  problems  in  education. 
Can  it  be  solved  without  religious  influences?  Love  will  not 
up  at  the  bidding.  We  can  observe  the  fact  that  personal 
discipleship  of  Christ  has  given  some  persons  in  our  acquain- 
tance a  rare  capacity  for  love,  for  social  sympathy,  for  peace- 
ableness,  for  all  the  society-making  qualities.  We  can  make 
test  of  the  fact  for  ourselves  that  every  real  contact  with  him 
gives  us  an  accession  of  fraternity  and  greater  fitness  for 
nobler  social  unity.    It  makes  us  good  fellows. 

IV 

The  man  who  intelligently  realizes  the  Chinese  and  the 
Zulu  as  his  brothers  with  whom  he  must  share  the  earth,  is 
an  ampler  mind — other  things  being  equal — than  the  man  who 
can  think  of  humanity  only  in  terms  of  pale-faces.  The 
consciousness  of  humanity  will  have  to  be  wrought  out  just 
as  the  consciousness  of  nationality  was  gradually  acquired. 
He  who  has  it  is  ahead  of  his  time  and  a  pioneer  of  the 
future.  The  missionary  puts  himself  in  the  position  to  ac- 
quire that  wider  sense  of  solidarity.  By  becoming  a  neighbor 
to  remote  people  he  broadens  their  conception  of  humanity 

27 


•[II-s]      THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

and  his  own,  and  then  can  be  an  interpreter  of  his  new 
friends  to  his  old  friends.  The  interest  in  foreign  missions 
has,  in  fact,  been  a  prime  educational  force,  carrying  a  world- 
wide consciousness  of  solidarity  into  thousands  of  plain  minds 
and  homes  that  would  otherwise  have  been  provincial  in  their 
horizon. 

A  world-wide  civilization  must  have  a  common  monotheistic 
faith  as  its  spiritual  basis.  Such  a  faith  must  be  unitive  and 
not  divisive.  What  the  world  needs  is  a  religion  with  a 
powerful  sense  of  solidarity. 

Suggestions  for  Thought  and  Discussion 

I.  Solidarity  in  Human  Life 

1.  Are  comradeship  and  team-work  instinctive,  or  must 
they  be  learned? 

2.  Do  the  symptoms  of  hatred  prove  or  disprove  social 
unity  ? 

3.  Does  a  strong  sense  of  social  unity  make  a  vigorous 
individualism  harder   to   maintain? 

II.  Christianity  and  Solidarity 

1.  Give  proof  that  Jesus  felt  a  human  hunger  for  com- 
panionship. 

2.  How  does  the  place  assigned  to  love  in  the  teachings 
of  Jesus  bear  on  solidarity?  How  does  the  duty  of  for- 
giveness connect  with  this? 

3.  How  does  the  spirit  of  the  Lord's  Prayer  prove 
the  place  of  solidarity  in  Christianity? 

III.  Jesus  and  the  Social  Groups 

1.  Where  did  Jesus  treat  communities  as  composite  per- 
sonalities? Would  it  be  equally  just  today  to  hold  cities 
responsible  as  moral  units? 

2.  How  did  Jesus  trace  a  moral  solidarity  between  gen- 
erations ? 

28 


SOLIDARITY  OF  THE  HUMAN  FAMILY    [II-s] 

IV.  Solidarity  in  Modern  Life 

1.  Where  do  you  see  the  principle  of  solidarity  accepted 
and  where  do  you  see  it  denied  in  modern  social  life? 

2.  In  what  way  does  war  outrage  Jesus'  principles  of 
social  unity?  Does  it  ever  promote  fraternity  and  solidar- 
ity?    If  so  how? 

3.  Is  class  consciousness  a  denial  of  social  solidarity  or 
an  approach  to  it?  How  can  group  loyalty  be  made  to 
contribute  to  the  common  weal? 

4.  How  should  we  value  the  willingness  of  organized 
labor  to  stand  together,  particularly  on  strike?  What  light 
does  bitterness  toward  scabs  throw  on  social  solidarity? 

5.  Why  is  the  feeling  of  antagonism  between  employer 
and  employe  so  common?  Does  a  wage  system  make  this 
inevitable?  Can  a  real  sense  of  cooperation  be  secured? 
If  so   how? 

6.  If  a  manufacturer  has  a  monopoly,  how  much  profit 
will  loyalty  to  Christian  principles  permit  him  to  make? 

7.  When  is  competition  unfraternal?  Would  socialism 
insure  fraternity? 

8.  Do  college  fraternities  practice  fraternity? 

V.  Strengthening  Solidarity 

1.  How  can  the  law  of  love  be  made  the  basis  of  modern 
business? 

2.  Does  religion  create  social  unity  or  neutralize  it? 
How  about  prayer? 

3.  How  does  the  Christian  law  of  love  bear  on  the  rela- 
tions of  the  races  in  America? 

4.  What  have  Christian  missions  done  to  lead  society 
from  the  nationalistic  to  the  international  and  inter-racial 
stage  ? 

5-  Can  world-wide  social  unity  be  secured  without  the 
influence  of  Christianity? 

VI.  For  Special  Discussion 

I.    To   what   extent   does   our   present   commercial   and 
39 


[II-s]      THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

industrial   organization   furnish  a  basis   for  experience  of 
solidarity  and  education  in  it? 

2.  What  aspects  of  modern  advertising  are  Christian  and 
which   are  non-Christian? 

3.  To  what  extent  is  the  law  of  the  market  compatible 
with  a  fraternal  conception  of  society? 

4.  Would  a  successful  socialist  organization  create  a 
stronger  sense  of  solidarity  or  would  divisive  interests  get 
in  by  new  ways? 

5.  Which  has  the  better  inducements  to  loyalty,  a  col- 
lege, or  a  trade  union?    Which  has  more  of  it? 

6.  How  does  the  team  spirit  go  wrong  among  students? 


30 


CHAPTER  III 
STANDING  WITH  THE  PEOPLE 

The  Strong  Must  Stand  Up  for  the  Weak 

We  have  found  two  simple  and  axiomatic  social  principles 
in  the  fundamental  convictions  of  Jesus :  The  sacredness  of 
life  and  personality,  and  the  spiritual  solidarity  of  men.  Now 
confront  a  mind  mastered  by  these  convictions  with  the  actual 
conditions  of  society,  with  the  contempt  for  life  and  the 
denial  of  social  obligation  existing,  and  how  will  he  react? 
How  will  he  see  the  duty  of  the  strong,  and  his  own  duty? 

Daily  Readings 
First  Day:   The  Social  Platform  of  Jesus 

And  he  came  to  Nazareth,  where  he  had  been 
brought  up :  and  he  entered,  as  his  custom  was,  into 
the  synagogue  on  the  sabbath  day,  and  stood  up  to 
read.  And  there  was  delivered  unto  him  the  book 
of  the  prophet  Isaiah.  And  he  opened  the  book,  and 
found  the  place  where  it  was  written. 

The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me, 

Because  he  anointed  me  to  preach  good  tidings  to 
the  poor : 

He  hath  sent  me  to  proclaim  release  to  the  captives. 

And  recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind. 

To  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised, 

To  proclaim  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord. 
And  he  closed  the  book,  and  gave  it  back  to  the 
attendant,  and  sat  down :  and  the  eyes  of  all  in  the 
synagogue  were  fastened  on  him.  And  he  began  to 
say  unto  them,  To-day  hath  this  scripture  been  ful- 
filled in  your  ears.     And  all  bare  him  witness,  and 

31 


[III-2]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

wondered  at  the  words  of  grace  which  proceeded  out 
of  his  mouth:  and  they  said,  Is  not  this  Joseph's 
son? — Luke  4:   16-22. 

Luke  evidently  felt  that  this  appearance  of  Jesus  in  the 
synagogue  of  his  home  city  at  the  outset  of  his  public  work 
was  a  significant  occasion.  The  passage  from  Isaiah  (61 :  if) 
was  doubtless  one  of  the  favorite  quotations  of  Jesus.  He 
saw  his  own  aims  summarized  in  it  and  he  now  announced 
it  as  his  program.  Its  promises  were  now  about  to  be  realized. 
What  were  they?  Glad  tidings  for  the  poor,  release  for  the 
imprisoned,  sight  for  the  blind,  freedom  for  the  oppressed, 
and  a  "year  of  Jehovah."  If  this  was  an  allusion  to  the  year 
of  Jubilee  (Lev.  25),  it  involved  a  revolutionary  "shedding 
of  burdens,"  such  as  Solon  brought  about  at  Athens.  At  any 
rate,  social  and  religious  emancipation  are  woven  together  in 
these  phrases.  Plainly  Jesus  saw  his  mission  in  raising  to 
free  and  full  life  those  whom  life  had  held  down  and  hurt. 

"As  thou  didst  send  me  into  the  world,  even  so  sent  I 
them."  Must  the  platform  of  Jesus  be  our  platform  and 
program  ? 

Second  Day:    The  Social  Test  of  the  Messiah 

And  the  disciples  of  John  told  him  of  all  these 
things.  And  John  calling  unto  him  two  of  his  dis- 
ciples sent  them  to  the. Lord,  saying,  Art  thou  he  that 
Cometh,  or  look  we  for  another?  And  when  the  men 
were  come  unto  him,  they  said,  John  the  Baptist  hath 
sent  us  unto  thee,  saying,  Art  thou  he  that  cometh, 
or  look  we  for  another?  In  that  hour  he  cured  many 
of  diseases  and  plagues  and  evil  spirits;  and  on  many 
that  were  blind  he  bestowed  sight.  And  he  answered 
and  said  unto  them,  Go  and  tell  John  the  things 
which  ye  have  seen  and  heard ;  the  blind  receive  their 
sight,  the  lame  walk,  the  lepers  are  cleansed,  and  the 
deaf  hear,  the  dead  are  raised  up,  the  poor  have  good 
tidings  preached  to  them.     And  blessed  is  he,  who- 

32 


STANDING  WITH  THE  PEOPLE  [III-3] 

soever   shall   find   no  occasion   of   stumbling  in  me. 
Luke  7:  18-23. 

Was  Jesus  the  Coming  One?  He  did  not  quite  measure  up 
to  John's  expectations.  The  Messiah  was  to  purge  the  people 
of  evil  elements,  winnowing  the  chatf  from  the  wheat  and 
burning  it.  His  symbol  was  the  axe.  Jesus  was  manifesting 
no  such  spirit.     Was  he  then  the  Messiah? 

Jesus  shifted  the  test  to  another  field.  Human  suffering 
was  being  relieved  and  the  poor  were  having  glad  news  pro- 
claimed to  them.  Sympathy  for  the  people  was  the  assured 
common  ground  between  Jesus  and  John.  Jesus  felt  that 
John  would  recognize  the  dawn  of  the  reign  of  God  by  the 
evidence  which  he  offered  him. 

What,  then,  would  be  proper  evidence  that  the  reign  of 
God  is  gaining  ground  in  our  intellect  and  feeling? 

Third  Day:    The  Church,  a  Product  of  Social  Feeling 

And  Jesus  went  about  all  the  cities  and  the  villages, 
teaching  in  their  synagogues,  and  preaching  the  gos- 
pel of  the  kingdom,  and  healing  all  manner  of  disease 
and  all  manner  of  sickness.  But  when  he  saw  the 
multitudes,  he  was  moved  with  compassion  for  them, 
because  they  were  distressed  and  scattered,  as  sheep 
not  having  a  shepherd.  Then  saith  he  unto  his  dis- 
ciples, The  harvest  indeed  is  plenteous,  but  the  labor- 
ers are  few.  Pray  ye  therefore  the  Lord  of  the 
harvest,  that  he  send  forth  laborers  into  his  harvest. 
And  he  called  unto  him  his  twelve  disciples,  and 
gave  them  authority  over  unclean  spirits,  to  cast  them 
out,  and  to  heal  all  manner  of  disease  and  all  man- 
ner of  sickness. — Matt.  9:35-10:1. 

The  selection  of  the  Twelve,  their  grouping  by  twos,  and 
their  employment  as  independent  messengers,  was  the  most 
important  organizing  act  of  Jesus.  Out  of  it  ultimately  grew 
the   Christian   Church.     Now  note   what  motives   led   to   it 

33 


[ni-4]    THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

Jesus  was  relieving  social  misery.  He  was  oppressed  by  the 
sense  of  it.  The  Greek  verbs  are  very  inadequately  rendered 
by  "distressed  and  scattered."  The  first  means  "skinned,  har- 
ried"; the  second  means  "flung  down,  prostrate."  The  people 
were  like  a  flock  of  sheep  after  the  wolves  are  through 
with  them.  There  was  dearth  of  true  leaders.  So  Jesus 
took  the  material  he  had  and  organized  the  apostolate — for 
what?  The  Church  grew  out  of  the  social  feeling  of  Jesus 
for  the  sufferings  of  the  common  people. 

To  what  extent,  in  your  judgment,  does  the  Church  today 
share  the  feeling  of  Jesus  about  the  condition  of  the  people 
and  fulfil  the  purpose  for  which  he  organized  the  apostolate? 
Or  has  the  condition  of  the  people  changed  so  that  their  social 
needs  are  less  urgent? 

Fourth  Day:  Jesus  Took  Sides 

And  he  lifted  up  his  eyes  on  his  disciples,  and  said, 
Blessed  are  ye  poor :  for  yours  is  the  kingdom  of  God. 
Blessed  are  ye  that  hunger  now :  for  ye  shall  be  filled. 
Blessed  are  ye  that  weep  now :  for  ye  shall  laugh. 
Blessed  are  ye,  when  men  shall  hate  you,  and  when 
they  shall  separate  you  from  their  company,  and  re- 
proach you,  and  cast  out  your  name  as  evil,  for  the 
Son  of  man's  sake.  Rejoice  in  that  day,  and  leap 
for  joy:  for  behold,  your  reward  is  great  in  heaven; 
for  in  the  same  manner  did  their  fathers  unto  the 
prophets.  But  woe  unto  you  that  are  rich !  for  ye 
have  received  your  consolation.  Woe  unto  you,  ye 
that  are  full  now !  for  ye  shall  hunger.  Woe  unto 
you,  ye  that  laugh  now!  for  ye  shall  mourn  and 
weep.  Woe  unto  you,  when  all  men  shall  speak  well 
of  you !  for  in  the  same  manner  did  their  fathers  to 
the  false  prophets. — Luke  6:  20-26. 

In  these  Beatitudes,  as  Luke  reports  them,  Jesus  clearly 
takes  sides  with  the  lowly.  He  says  God  and  the  future  are 
not  on  the  side  of  the  rich,  the  satiated,  the  devotees  of 
pleasure,  the  people  who  take  the  popular  side  on  everything. 

34 


STANDING  WITH  THE  PEOPLE         [III-5] 

Ultimately  the  verdict  will  be  for  those  who  are  now  poor  and 
underfed,  who  carry  the  heavy  end  of  things,  and  who  have 
to  stand  for  the  unpopular  side.  In  the  report  of  the  Beati- 
tudes given  by  Matthew  (5 :  3-12)  the  terms  are  less  social 
and  more  spiritual,  and  the  contrast  between  the  upper  and 
lower  classes  is  not  marked;  but  even  there  the  promise  of 
the  great  reversal  of  things  is  to  the  humble  and  peaceable 
folk,  the  hard  hit  and  unpopular;  they  are  to  inherit  the 
earth,  and  also  God's  kingdom. 

Would  it  make  Jesus  a  wiser  teacher  and  nobler  figure  if 
he  had  reversed  his  sympathies? 

Fifth  Day:   Salvation  through  the  Common  People 

In  that  same  hour  he  rejoiced  in  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  said,  I  thank  thee,  O  Father,  Lord  of  heaven  -' 
and  earth,  that  thou  didst  hide  these  things  from  the 
wise  and  understanding,  and  didst  reveal  them  unto 
babes :  yea.  Father ;  for  so  it  was  well-pleasing  in  thy 
sight. — Luke  10:  21. 

For  behold  your  calling,  brethren,  that  not  many 
wise  after  the  flesh,  not  many  mighty,  not  many  noble, 
are  called :  but  God  chose  the  foolish  things  of  the 
world,  that  he  might  put  to  shame  them  that  are  wise; 
and  God  chose  the  weak  things  of  the  world,  that  he 
might  put  to  shame  the  things  that  are  strong; 
and  the  base  things  of  the  world,  and  the  things  that 
are  despised,  did  God  choose,  yea  and  the  things 
that  are  not,  that  he  might  bring  to  nought  the  things 
that  are :  that  no  flesh  should  glory  before  God. — 
I  Cor.  1 :  26-29. 

The  actual  results  of  his  work  proved  to  Jesus  that  his 
success  was  to  be  with  the  simple-minded,  and  not  with  the 
pundit  class.  He  accepted  the  fact  with  a  thrill  of  joy,  and 
praised  God  for  making  it  so.  Paul  verified  the  same  align- 
ment in  the  early  Church.    The  upper  classes  held  back  through 

35 


[III-6]    THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

pride  of  birth  or  education,  or  through  the  timidity  of  wealth. 
In  bringing  in  a  new  order  of  things,  God  had  to  use  plain 
people  to  get  a  leverage. 

What  really  was  it  that  Jesus  saw  in  the  lowly  to  attract 
him? 

Sixth  Day:  Jesus,  a  Man  of  the  People 

And  when  they  drew  nigh  unto  Jerusalem,  and 
came  unto  Bethphage,  unto  the  mount  of  Olives,  then 
Jesus  sent  two  disciples,  saying  unto  them,  Go  into 
the  village  that  is  over  against  you,  and  straightway 
ye  shall  find  an  ass  tied,  and  a  colt  with  her:  loose 
them,  and  bring  them  unto  me.  And  if  any  one  say 
aught  unto  you,  ye  shall  say,  The  Lord  hath  need  of 
them;  and  straightway  he  will  send  them.  Now  this 
is  come  to  pass,  that  it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was 
spoken  through  the  prophet,  saying, 

Tell  ye  the  daughter  of  Zion, 

Behold,  thy  King  cometh  unto  thee, 

Meek,  and  riding  upon  an  ass, 

And  upon  a  colt  the  foal  of  an  ass. 
And  the  disciples  went,  and  did  even  as  Jesus  ap- 
pointed them,  and  brought  the  ass,  and  the  colt,  and 
put  on  them  their  garments;  and  he  sat  thereon. 
And  the  most  part  of  the  multitude  spread  their  gar- 
ments in  the  way;  and  others  cut  branches  from  the 
trees,  and  spread  them  in  the  way.  And  the  mul- 
titudes that  went  before  him,  and  that  followed,  cried 
saying,  Hosanna  to  the  son  of  David:  Blessed  is 
he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord;  Hosanna 
in  the  highest.  And  when  he  was  come  into  Jeru- 
salem, all  the  city  was  stirred,  saying,  Wlio  is  this? 
And  the  multitudes  said,  This  is  the  prophet,  Jesus, 
from  Nazareth  of  Galilee. — Matt.  21:  i-li. 

Here  was  a  democratic  procession!  No  caparisoned 
charger,  but  a  burro — though  a  young  and  frisky  one,  care- 
fully selected — no  military  escort  with  a  brass  band  and  a 
drum  major,  but  a  throng  of  peasants,  shouting  the  psalms 

36 


STANDING  WITH  THE  PEOPLE         [III-7] 

of  their  fathers  and  the  hope  of  a  good  time  coming;  no  costly 
rugs  to  carpet  the  way  of  the  King,  but  the  sweat-stained 
garments  of  working  people  and  branches  wrenched  off  by 
Galilasan  fists.  What  was  he,  this  King  of  the  future, 
ridiculous  or  sublime? 

If  Jesus  is  ever  to  make  his  entry  into  the  spiritual  sover- 
eignty of  humanity,  will  the  social  classes  line  up  as  they 
did  at  Jerusalem? 

Seventh  Day  :    The  Final  Test  for  All 

But  when  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  his  glory, 
and  all  the  angels  with  him,  then  shall  he  sit  on  the 
throne  of  his  glory:  and  before  him  shall  be  gathered 
all  the  nations :  and  he  shall  separate  them  one  from 
another,  as  the  shepherd  separateth  the  sheep  from 
the  goats;  and  he  shall  set  the  sheep  on  his  right 
hand,  but  the  goats  on  the  left.  Then  shall  the  King 
say  unto  them  on  his  right  hand,  Come,  ye  blessed 
of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you 
from  the  foundation  of  the  world:  for  I  was  hungry, 
and  ye  gave  me  to  eat;  I  was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave 
me  drink ;  I  was  a  stranger,  and  ye  took  me  in ;  naked, 
and  ye  clothed  me;  I  was  sick,  and  ye  visited  me;  I 
was  in  prison,  and  ye  came  unto  me.  Then  shall  the 
righteous  answer  him,  saying.  Lord,  when  saw  we 
thee  hungry,  and  fed  thee?  or  athirst,  and  gave  thee 
drink?  And  when  saw  we  thee  a  stranger,  and  took 
thee  in?  or  naked,  and  clothed  thee?  And  when 
saw  we  thee  sick,  or  in  prison,  and  came  unto  thee? 
And  the  King  shall  answer  and  say  unto  them,  Verily 
I  say  unto  you,  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  unto  one  of 
these  my  brethren,  even  these  least,  ye  did  it  unto 
me.  Then  shall  he  say  also  unto  them  on  the  left 
hand,  Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed,  into  the  eternal 
fire  which  is  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels : 
for  I  was  l^uugry,  and  ye  did  not  give  me  to  eat;  I 
was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  no  drink;  I  was  a 
stranger,  and  ye  took  me  not  in;  naked,  and  ye 
clothed  me  not ;  sick,  and  in  prison,  and  ye  visited  me 

37 


[III-s]    THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

not.  Then  shall  they  also  answer,  saying,  Lord,  when 
saw  we  thee  hungry,  or  athirst,  or  a  stranger,  or 
naked,  or  sick,  or  in  prison,  and  did  not  minister 
unto  thee  ?  Then  shall  he  answer  them,  saying.  Verily 
I  say  unto  you.  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  not  unto  one  of 
these  least,  ye  did  it  not  unto  me.  And  these  shall 
go  away  into  eternal  punishment:  but  the  righteous 
into  eternal  life. — Matt.  25 :  31-46. 

"Whence  he  shall  come  to  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead." 
Think  of  it — absolute  justice  done  at  last,  by  an  all-knowing 
Judge,  where  no  earthly  pull  of  birth,  wealth,  learning,  or 
power  will  count,  and  where  all  masks  fall  I  By  what  code 
of  law  and  what  standard  shall  we  be  judged  there?  Here 
is  the  answer  of  Jesus:  Not  by  creed  and  church  questions, 
but  by  our  human  relations;  by  the  reality  of  our  social 
feeling;  by  our  practical  solidarity  with  our  fellow-men.  If 
we  lived  in  the  presence  of  hunger,  loneliness,  and  oppres- 
sion, in  the  same  country  with  child  labor,  race  contempt, 
the  long  day,  rack  rents,  prostitution,  just  earnings  withheld 
by  power,  the  price  of  living  raised  to  swell  swollen  profit — 
if  we  saw  such  things  and  remained  apathetic,  out  we  go. 

You  and  I— to  the  right  or  the  left? 

Study  for  the  Week 

No  one  can  turn  from  a  frank  reading  of  the  Gospels  with- 
out realizing  that  Jesus  had  a  deep  fellow-feeling,  not  only 
for  suffering  and  handicapped  individuals,  but  for  the  mass 
of  the  poorer  people  of  his  country,  the  peasants,  the  fisher- 
men, the  artisans.  He  declared  that  it  was  his  mission  to 
bring  glad  tidings  to  this  class;  and  not  only  glad  words,  but 
happy  realities.  Evidently  the  expectation  of  the  coming 
Reign  of  God  to  his  mind  signified  some  substantial  relief 
and  release  to  the  submerged  and  oppressed.  Our  modern 
human  feeling  glories  in  this  side  of  our  Saviour's  work. 
Art  and  literature  love  to  see  him  from  this  angle. 

38 


STANDING  WITH  THE  PEOPLE         [III-sJ 


His  concern  for  the  poor  was  the  necessary  result  of  the 
two  fundamental  convictions  discussed  by  us  in  the  previous 
chapters.  If  he  felt  the  sacredness  of  life  even  in  its  humble 
and  hardworn  forms,  and  if  he  felt  the  family  unity  of  all  men 
in  such  a  way  that  the  sorrows  of  the  poor  were  his  sorrows, 
then,  of  course,  he  could  not  be  at  ease  while  the  people 
were  "skinned  and  prostrate,"  "like  sheep  without  a  shep- 
herd." Wherever  any  group  has  developed  real  solidarity, 
its  best  attention  is  always  given  to  those  who  are  most  in 
need.  "The  whole  have  no  need  of  a  physician,"  said  Jesus; 
the  strong  can  take  care  of  themselves. 

So  he  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  people  consciously.  He 
slept  in  their  homes,  healed  their  diseases,  ate  their  bread, 
and  shared  his  own  with  them.  He  gave  them  a  faith,  a  hope 
of  better  days,  and  a  sense  that  God  was  on  their  side.  Such 
a  faith  is  more  than  meat  and  drink.  In  turn  they  rallied 
around  him,  and  could  not  get  enough  of  him.  "The  common 
people  heard  him  gladly." 

Furthermore,  the  feehng  of  Jesus  for  "the  poor"  was  not 
the  sort  of  compassion  we  feel  for  the  hopelessly  crippled  in 
body  or  mind.  His  feeling  was  one  of  love  and  trust.  The 
Galilsean  peasants,  from  whom  Peter  and  John  sprang,  were 
not  morons,  or  the  sodden  dregs  of  city  slums.  They  were 
the  patient,  hard-working  folks  who  have  always  made  up  the 
rank  and  file  of  all  peoples.  They  had  their  faults,  and  Jesus 
must  have  known  them.  But  did  he  ever  denounce  them,  or 
call  them  "offspring  of  vipers"?  Did  he  ever  indicate  that 
their  special  vices  were  frustrating  the  Kingdom  of  God? 
They  needed  spiritual  impulse  and  leadership,  but  their  nature 
was  sound  and  they  were  the  raw  material  for  the  redeemed 
humanity  which  he  strove  to  create. 

II 

There  is  one  more  quality  which  we  shall  have  to  recognize 
in  the  attitude  of  Jesus  to  "the  poor."    He  saw  them  over 

39 


[III-s]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

against  "the  rich."  Amid  all  the  variations  of  human  society 
these  two  groups  always  reappear — those  who  live  by  their 
own  productive  labor,  and  those  who  live  on  the  productive 
labor  of  others  whom  they  control.  Practically  they  overlap 
and  blend,  but  when  our  perspective  is  distant  enough,  we 
can  distinguish  them.  In  Greek  and  Roman  society,  in 
medieval  life,  and  in  all  civilized  nations  of  today — barring, 
of  course,  our  own — we  can  see  them  side  by  side.  Each 
conditions  the  other;  neither  would  exist  without  the  other. 
Each  class  develops  its  own  moral  and  spiritual  habits,  its 
own  set  of  virtues  and  vices.  Some  of  us  were  born  in  the 
upper  class,  some  in  the  lower;  and  in  college  groups  the 
majority  come  from  the  border  line.  By  instinct,  by  the 
experiences  of  life,  or  by  national  reflection,  we  usually  give 
our  moral  allegiance  to  one  or  the  other,  and  are  then  apt 
to  lean  to  that  side  in  every  question  arising. 

Now,  Jesus  took  sides  with  the  group  of  toil.  He  stood 
up  for  them.  He  stood  with  them.  We  can  not  help  seeing 
him  with  his  arm  thrown  in  protection  about  the  poor  man, 
and  his  other  hand  raised  in  warning  to  the  rich.  If  we  are 
in  any  doubt  about  this,  we  can  let  his  contemporaries  decide 
it  for  us.  Plainly  the  common  people  claimed  him  as  their 
friend.  Did  the  governing  classes  have  the  same  feeling  for 
him?  It  seems  hard  to  escape  the  conclusion  that  Jesus  was 
not  impartial  between  the  two.  Was  he  nevertheless  just? 
To  the  aesthetic  sense,  and  also  to  a  superficial  moral  judg- 
ment, the  upper  classes  are  everywhere  more  congenial  and 
attractive.  To  the  moral  judgment  of  Jesus,  as  we  shall  see 
more  fully  in  a  later  chapter,  there  was  something  disquieting 
and  dangerous  about  the  spiritual  qualities  of  "the  rich,"  and 
something  lovable  and  hopeful  about  the  qualities  of  the 
common  man.  Was  he  right?  This  is  a  very  important 
practical  question  for  all  who  are  disposed  to  follow  his  moral 
leadership. 

The  perception  that  Jesus  championed  the  people  can  be 
found  throughout  literature  and  art.  Our  own  Lowell  has 
expressed  it   in  his   "Parable"   in  which  he  describes  Jesus 

40 


STANDING  WITH  THE  PEOPLE         [III-s] 

coming  back  to  earth  to   see   "how  the  men,   my  brethren, 
believe  in  me." 

"Have  ye  founded  your  thrones  and  altars,  then, 
On  the  bodies  and  souls  of  living  men? 
And  think  ye  that  building  shall  endure, 
Which  shelters  the  noble  and  crushes  the  poor? 

"With  gates  of  silver  and  bars  of  gold 
Ye  have  fenced  my  sheep  from  their  Father's  fold; 
I  have  heard  the  dropping  of  their  tears 
In  heaven  these  eighteen  hundred  years. 


"Then  Christ  sought  out  an  artisan, 
A  low-browed,  stunted,  haggard  man. 
And  a  motherless  girl,  whose  fingers  thin, 
Pushed  from  her  faintly  want  and  sin. 

"These  set  he  in  the  midst  of  them, 
And  as  they  drew  back  their  garment-hem 
For  fear  of  defilement,  'Lo,  here,'  said  he, 
'The  images  ye  have  made  of  me.' " 

III 

We  shall  get  the  historical  setting  for  Christ's  champion- 
ship of  the  people  by  going  back  to  the  Old  Testament 
prophets.  They  were  his  spiritual  forebears.  He  nourished 
his  mind  on  their  writings  and  loved  to  quote  them.  Now, 
the  Hebrew  prophets  with  one  accord  stood  up  for  the 
common  people  and  laid  the  blame  for  social  wrong  on  the 
powerful  classes.  They  underlined  no  other  sin  with  such 
scarlet  marks  as  the  sins  of  injustice,  oppression,  and  the 
corruption  of  judges.  But  these  are  the  sins  which  bear  down 
the  lowly,  and  have  always  been  practiced  and  hushed  up 
by  the  powerful.  "Hear  this  word,  ye  kine  of  Bashan,  that 
oppress  the  poor,  that  crush  the  needy.  ...  Ye  trample  upon 

41 


[III-s]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

the  poor,  and  take  exactions  from  him  of  wheat;  ...  ye  that 
afflict  the  just,  that  take  a  bribe,  and  that  turn  aside  the 
needy  in  the  gate  from  their  right.  .  .  .  For  three  trans- 
gressions of  Israel,  yea,  for  four,  I  will  not  turn  away  the 
punishment  thereof;  because  they  have  sold  the  righteous 
for  silver,  and  the  needy  for  a  pair  of  shoes ;  they  that  pant 
after  the  dust  of  the  earth  on  the  head  of  the  poor"  (Amos 
4:  i;  5:  11-12;  2:  6-7).  Micah  describes  the  strong  and 
crafty  crowding  the  peasant  from  his  ancestral  holding  and 
the  mother  from  her  home  by  the  devices  always  used  for 
such  ends,  exorbitant  interest  on  loans,  foreclosure  in  times 
of  distress,  "seeing  the  judge"  before  the  trial,  and  hardness 
of  heart  toward  broken  life  and  happiness  (Micah  2:  1-2; 
2:  9;  3:  1-2).  We  cannot  belittle  the  moral  insight  of  that 
unique  succession  of  men.  Their  spiritual  force  is  still  hard 
at  work  in  our  Christian  civilization,  especially  in  the  con- 
tribution which  the  Jewish  people  are  making  to  the  labor 
movement. 

IV 

Among  the  Greeks  and  Romans  political  and  literary  life 
was  so  completely  dominated  by  the  aristocratic  class  that  no 
such  succession  of  champions  of  the  common  man  could  well 
arise.  Yet  some  of  the  men  of  whom  posterity  thinks  with 
most  veneration  were  upper-class  champions  of  the  common 
people — Solon,  for  instance,  Manlius,  and  the  Gracchi. 

In  recent  centuries  the  vast  forces  of  social  evolution  seem 
to  have  set  in  the  direction  toward  which  Jesus  faced.  Since 
the  Reformation  the  institutions  of  religion  have  been  more 
or  less  democratized.  The  common  people  have  secured  some 
participation  in  political  power  and  have  been  able  to  use  it 
somewhat  for  their  economic  betterment.  They  share  much 
more  fully  in  education  than  formerly.  Before  the  outbreak 
of  the  Great  War  it  seemed  safe  to  anticipate  that  the 
working  people  would  secure  an  increasing  share  of  the  social 
wealth,  the  security,  the  opportunities  for  health,  for  artistic 
enjoyment,  and  of  all  that  makes  life  worth  living.     Today 

42 


STANDING  WITH  THE  PEOPLE         [Ills] 

the  future  is  heavily  clouded  and  uncertain ;  but  our  faith 
still  holds  that  even  the  great  disaster  will  help  ultimately  to 
weaken  the  despotic  and  exploiting  forces,  and  make  the 
condition  of  the  common  people  more  than  ever  the  chief 
concern  of  science  and  statesmanship. 

Jesus  was  on  the  side  of  the  common  people  long  before 
democracy  was  on  the  ascendant.  He  loved  them,  felt  their 
worth,  trusted  their  latent  capacities,  and  promised  them  the 
Kingdom  of  God.  The  religion  he  founded,  even  when 
impure  and  under  the  control  of  the  upper  classes,  has  been 
the  historical  basis  for  the  aspirations  of  the  common  people 
and  has  readily  united  with  democratic  movements.  His 
personality  and  spirit  has  remained  an  impelling  and  directing 
force  in  the  minds  of  many  individuals  who  have  "gone  to 
the  people"  because  they  know  Jesus  is  with  them.  In  fact 
we  can  look  for  more  direct  social  effectiveness  of  Jesus  in 
the  future,  because  the  new  historical  interpretation  of  the 
Bible  helps  us  to  see  him  more  plainly  amid  the  social  life 
of  his  own  people. 


So  we  must  add  a  third  social  principle  to  the  first  two. 
The  first  was  that  life  and  personality  are  sacred ;  the  second 
that  men  belong  together;  the  third  is  that  the  strong  must 
stand  with  the  weak  and  defend  their  cause.  In  his  descrip- 
tion of  the  Messianic  Judgment,  Jesus  proposed  to  recognize 
as  his  followers  only  those  who  had  responded  to  the  call 
of  human  need  and  solidarity.  He  created  the  apostleship 
and  therewith  the  germ  of  the  Church  in  order  to  serve  the 
people  whose  needs  he  saw  and  felt. 

How  does  this  concern  college  men  and  women?  By  our 
opportunities  and  equipment  we  rank  with  the  strong.  Discip- 
lined intellect  is  armor  and  sword.  Many  of  us  have  inherited 
social  standing  and  some  wealth ;  it  may  not  be  much,  but  it 
raises  us  above  the  terrible  push  of  immediate  need.  What 
relation  do  we  propose  to  have  with  the  great  mass  of  men 
and  women  who  were  born  without  the  chances  which  have 

43 


[III-s]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

fallen  to  us  ^without  exertion?  Do  we  propose  to  serve  them 
or  to  ride  on  them?  Will  we  seek  to  gain  some  form  of 
power  by  means  of  which  we  can  live  in  plenty,  with  only 
slight  and  pleasurable  exertion?  In  that  case  we  can  hardly 
return  to  our  fellow-men  in  work  as  much  as  we  take  from 
them  in  enjoyment  and  luxury.  We  shall  be  part  of  that 
dead  weight  which  has  always  bent  the  back  of  the  poor. 
Is  that  an  honorable  ambition?  Or  do  we  propose  to  enter 
the  working  team  of  humanity  and  to  hold  up  our  end?  Our 
end  ought  to  be  heavier  than  the  average  because  we  have 
had  longer  and  better  training.  "To  whomsoever  much  is 
given,  of  him  shall  much  be  required." 

The  moral  problem  for  college  communities  is  accentuated 
when  we  remember  that  few  students  pay  fully  for  what 
they  get.  Whether  our  institutions  are  supported  from  taxa- 
tion or  from  endowments,  a  large  part  of  their  incomes  are 
derived  from  the  annual  labor  of  society;  tuitions  pay  only 
a  fraction  of  the  running  expenses  and  of  the  interest  on  the 
plant.  Even  if  a  student  pays  all  charges,  he  is  in  part  a 
pensioner  on  the  public.  The  working  people  in  the  last 
resort  support  us;  the  same  people  who  are  often  so  eager 
for  education,  and  who  can  not  get  it.  Some  of  them  would 
feel  rich  if  they  had  the  leavings  of  knowledge  which  we 
throw  to  the  floor  and  tread  upon  in  our  spirit  of  surfeit. 
To  take  our  education  at  their  hands  and  use  it  to  devise 
ways  by  which  we  can  continue  to  live  on  them,  seems  dis- 
quieting even  to  a  pagan  conscience.  It  ought  to  be  in- 
sufferable to  a  sense  of  social  responsibility  trained  under 
Christian  influences. 

Here  is  a  test  for  college  communities  more  searching  than 
the  physical  test  of  athletics,  or  the  intellectual  tests  of 
scholarship.  Do  we  feel  our  social  unity  with  the  people  who 
work  for  their  living,  and  do  we  propose  to  use  our  special 
privileges  and  capacities  for  their  social  redemption? 

"When  wilt  Thou  save  the  people? 
O  God  of  Mercy,  when? 

44 


STANDING  WITH  THE  PEOPLE         [Ills] 

Not  kings  and  lords,  but  nations, 
Not  thrones  and  crowns,  but  men. 
Flowers  of  Thy  heart,  O  God,  are  they. 
Let  them  not  pass  like  weeds  away. 
Let  them  not  fade  in  sunless  day ! 
God  save  the  people!" — Ebenezer  Elliott. 

Suggestions  for  Thought  and  Discussion 
I.    The  Partisanship  of  Jesus 

1.  Did  Jesus  really  take  sides  with  the  poor?     Prove  it 

2.  Try  to  prove  the  other  side. 

3.  Which  would  be  safer  evidence :  single  sayings,  or 
the  total  impression  of  his  life  and  teachings? 

4.  What  do  you  conclude  regarding  the  attitude  of  Jesus? 

n.    The  Church  and  the  People 

1.  What  motives  led  Jesus  to  organize  and  send  out  the 
twelve?  What  was  the  historical  significance  of  that 
action  ? 

2.  When  and  how  did  the  Church  lose  its  working  class 
character  ? 

3.  Does  the  Church  today  share  Jesus'  feelings  about 
the  condition  of  the  people?  Sum  up  evidence  for  and 
against. 

4.  What  is  the  true  function  of  the  Church  in  society  so 
far  as  the  poor  are  concerned? 

IIL    Standing  up  for  the  People  Today 

1.  Is  it  a  superficial  or  profound  test  to  range  a  man 
according  to  his  sympathy  with  the  common  people? 

2.  What  does  it  involve  to  stand  up  for  the  people 
today?     How  does  it  differ  from  charity  and  relief  work? 

3.  Name  some  men  and  women  in  our  own  times  who 
seem  to  have  stood  up  for  them  most  wisely  and  efifectively. 

4.  What  are  the  vices  of  social  reformers? 

45 


[III-s]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

IV.  The  Concern  of  College  Men  and  Women 

1.  How  can  college  men  and  women  make  a  just  return 
for  their  special  opportunities? 

2.  What  movements  in  college  and  university  life  in 
recent  years  are  in  line  with  this  social  principle  of  Jesus? 

3.  What  part  have  the  university  students  of  Russia, 
Austria,  Germany,  and  England  taken  in  social  movements? 
Have  American  students  ever  taken  a  similar  interest  in 
working  class  movements?    If  not,  why  not? 

V.  For  Special  Discussion 

1.  Is  it  an  advantage  or  disadvantage  to  Christianity 
that  it  began  among  the  working  class?  What  effects  did 
that  have  on  its  ethical  points  of  view  and  its  impulses? 

2.  Why  did  the  regeneration  of  ancient  society  have  to 
come  through  the  lowly?  Will  it  have  to  come  the  same 
way  today? 

3.  Is  it  ethical  to  live  without  productive  labor?  Is  it 
morally  tolerable  to  enjoy  excessive  leisure  purchased  by 
the  excessive  toil  of  others? 

4.  Is  there  any  clear  conviction  on  this  question  in  the 
Christian  Church  today? 

5.  Is  the  fact  that  a  person  has  sprung  from  the  work- 
ing-class a  guarantee  that  he  will  have  the  working-class 
sympathies  ? 

6.  Who  seem  to  have  more  natural  democratic  feeling, 
the  men  or  the  women  of  the  upper  classes? 


46 


PART  II 
THE  SOCIAL  IDEAL  OF  JESUS 


CHAPTER  IV 
THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD:  ITS  VALUES 

The  Right  Social  Order  is  the  Highest  Good  for  All 

The  first  three  chapters  dealt  with  simple  human  principles 
which  are  common  and  instinctive  with  all  real  men.  Jesus 
simply  expanded  the  range  of  their  application,  clarified  our 
comprehension  of  them,  placed  them  in  the  very  center  of 
rehgious  duty,  and  so  lifted  them  to  the  high  level  of  great 
social  and  religious  principles. 

In  the  next  three  chapters  we  shall  take  up  a  conception 
which  is  not  universally  human,  but  which  Jesus  derived  from 
the  historic  life  of  the  Hebrew  people — the  idea  of  the 
"Kingdom  of  God."  A  better  translation  would  be  "the 
Reign  of  God."  This  conception  embodied  the  social  ideal 
and  purpose  of  the  best  minds  of  one  of  the  few  creative 
nations  of  history. 

How  did  Jesus  interpret  this  inherited  social  ideal?  What 
did  the  Kingdom  of  God  seem  to  him  to  offer  men?  What  did 
it  demand  of  them?  What  immediate  ethical  duty  did  this 
social  ideal  involve?  Our  inquiry  will  move  along  these  lines 
in  the  next  three  chapters. 

Daily  Readings 
First  Day  :  The  Main  Chance 

The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  treasure 
hidden  in  the  field;  which  a  man  found,  and  hid; 
and  in  his  joy  he  goeth  and  selleth  all  that  he  hath, 
and  buyeth  that  field. 

Again,  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  untO'  a  man 
that  is  a  merchant  seeking  goodly  pearls :  and  having 

49 


[IV-2]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

found  one  pearl  of   great  price,  he  went  and  sold 
all  that  he  had,  and  bought  it.— Matt.  13 :  44-46. 

When  war  was  common,  property  insecure,  and  safe  de- 
posit vaults  were  scarce,  it  was  common  for  men  to  bury 
treasure  in  time  of  trouble  and  to  forget  it  when  they  were 
dead.  Whoever  accidentally  found  it  "struck  pay  dirt"  and 
hastened  to  locate  his  claim.  An  extraordinary  jewel,  too, 
was  a  bonanza.  The  infant  capitaHsts  of  that  day  were  wise 
enough  to  liquidate  their  other  holdings  and  invest  every- 
thing in  the  main  chance.  Jesus  calls  for  the  application  of 
the  same  method  on  the  higher  level.  The  Kingdom  of  God 
is  the  highest  good  of  all;  why  not  stake  all  on  the  chance 
of  that?  These  parables  were  spoken  out  of  his  own  experi- 
ence. He  was  gladly  surrendering  home,  comfort,  public 
approval,  and  life  itself  to  realize  the  Reign  of  God  in 
humanity. 

Imagine  that  Jesus  had  surrendered  his  religious  idealism, 
had  gained  wealth  and  official  standing,  and  died  of  old  age. 
Would  he  have  gained?    What  would  the  world  have  lost? 

Second  Day:  The  Master  Fact 

From  that  time  began  Jesus  to  preach,  and  to  say, 
Repent  ye;  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand. 
—Matt.  4 :  17. 

The  Kingdom  of  God  is  a  master  fact.  It  takes  control. 
When  the  Kingdom  becomes  a  reality  to  us,  we  can  not  live 
on  in  the  old  way.  We  must  repent,  begin  over,  overhaul 
the  values  of  life  and  put  them  down  at  their  true  price, 
and  so  readjust  our  fundamental  directions.  The  conduct  of 
the  individual  must  rise  in  response  to  higher  conceptions  of 
the  meaning  and  possibilities  of  the  life  of  humanity.  Tolstoi 
has  described  his  conversion  in  the  simplest  terms  in  the 
introduction  to  "My  Religion:" 

"Five  years  ago  faith  came  to  me;  I  believed  in 
SO 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD:  ITS'  VALUES  [IV-3] 

the  doctrine  of  Jesus,  and  my  whole  life  underwent  a 
sudden  transformation.  What  I  had  once  wished  for 
I  wished  for  no  longer,  and  I  began  to  desire  what 
I  had  never  desired  before.  What  had  once  appeared 
to  me  right  now  became  wrong,  and  the  wrong  of 
the  past  I  beheld  as  right.  My  condition  was  like 
that  of  a  man  who  goes  forth  upon  some  errand,  and 
having  traversed  a  portion  of  the  road,  decides 
that  the  matter  is  of  no  importance,  and  turns  back. 
What  was  at  first  on  his  right  hand  is  now  on  his 
left,  and  what  was  at  his  left  hand  is  now  on  his 
right;  instead  of  going  away  from  his  abode,  he 
desires  to  get  back  to  it  as  soon  as  possible.  My  life 
and  my  desires  were  completely  changed;  good  and 
evil  interchanged  meanings.  Why  so?  Because  I 
understood  the  doctrine  of  Jesus  in  a  different  way 
from  that  in  which  I  had  understood  it  before." 
...  "I  understood  the  words  of  Jesus,  and  life  and 
death  ceased  to  be  evil;  instead  of  despair,  I  tasted  joy 
and  happiness." 

Some  seek  religion  to  escape  hell  and  attain  heaven;  some 
to  attain  a  perfect  personality;  some  to  bring  in  the  Reign  of 
God.  Give  cases.  Estimate  the  relative  religious  and  social 
significance  of  these  different  spiritual  experiences. 

Third  Day:  Baptism  and  the  New  Order 

Even  as  it  is  written  in  Isaiah  the  prophet, 

Behold,  I  send  my  messenger  before  thy  face, 

Who  shall  prepare  thy  way; 

The  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness, 

Make  ye   ready   the   way   of   the  Lord, 

Make  his  paths  straight; 
John  came,  who  baptized  in  the  wilderness  and 
preached  the  baptism  of  repentance  unto  remission 
of  sins.  And  there  went  out  unto  him  all  the  country 
of  Jud^a,  and  all  they  of  Jerusalem;  and  they  were 
baptized  of  him  in  the  river  Jordan,  confessing  their 
sins.  And  John  was  clothed  with  camel's  hair,  and 
had  a  leathern  girdle  about  his  loins,  and  did  eat 

51 


[IV-4]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

locusts  and  wild  honey.  And  he  preached,  saying, 
There  cometh  after  me  he  that  is  mightier  than  I, 
the  latchet  of  whose  shoes  I  am  not  worthy  to  stoop 
down  and  unloose.  I  baptized  you  in  water;  but  he 
shall  baptize  you  in  the  Holy  Spirit. — Mark  i :  2-8. 

The  men  who  were  baptized  by  John  were  not  looking 
forward  to  death  and  to  salvation  after  death,  but  to  the 
coming  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  of  his  Messiah,  They 
repented  and  accepted  the  badge  of  baptism  in  order  to  have 
a  share  in  the  blessings  of  the  Kingdom  and  to  escape  the 
imminent  judgment  of  the  Messiah.  Baptism  was  then 
the  mark  of  a  national  and  social  movement  toward  a  new 
era,  and  was  a  personal  dedication  to  a  righteous  social 
order.  This  original  idea  of  baptism  was  practically  lost 
to  the  Christian  consciousness  in  later  times.  Every  man 
who  today  realizes  the  Kingdom  of  God  as  the  supreme  good, 
can  reaffirm  his  own  baptism  as  a  dedication  to  the  social 
ideal  and  to  the  leadership  of  Jesus  who  initiated  it.  Such 
a  social  interpretation  of  our  personal  discipleship  will  bring 
us  into  closer  spiritual  agreement  with  the  original  aim  of 
Christianity. 

Has  our  baptism  ever  had  a  social  significance  to  us? 
Fourth  Day:  The  Way  to  Happiness 

Therefore  I  say  unto  you,  Be  not  anxious  for 
your  life,  what  ye  shall  eat,  or  what  ye  shall  drink; 
nor  yet  for  your  body,  what  ye  shall  put  on.  Is  not 
the  life  more  than  the  food,  and  the  body  than  the 
raiment?  Behold  the  birds  of  the  heaven,  that  they 
sow  not,  neither  do  they  reap,  nor  gather  into  barns, 
and  your  heavenly  Father  feedeth  them.  Are  not 
ye  of  much  more  value  than  they?  And  which  of 
you  by  being  anxious  can  add  one  cubit  unto  the 
measure  of  his  life?  And  why  are  ye  anxious  con- 
cerning raiment?  Consider  the  lilies  of  the  field, 
how  they  grow;  they  toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin: 
yet   I  say  unto  you,   that  even   Solomon   in   all  his 

52 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD:  ITS  VALUES   [IV-5] 

glory  was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  these.  But  if  God 
doth  so  clothe  the  grass  of  the  field,  which  to-day 
is,  and  to-morrow  is  cast  into  the  oven,  shall  he 
not  much  more  clothe  you,  O  ye  of  little  faith?  Be 
not  therefore  anxious,  saying.  What  shall  we  eat? 
or,  What  shall  we  drink?  or.  Wherewithal  shall  we 
be  clothed?  For  after  all  these  things  do  the  Gen- 
tiles seek;  for  your  heavenly  Father  knoweth  that  ye 
have  need  of  all  these  things.  But  seek  ye  first  his 
kingdom,  and  his  righteousness;  and  all  these  things 
shall  be  added  unto  you.  Be  not  therefore  anxious 
for  the  morrow :  for  the  morrow  will  be  anxious  for 
itself.  Sufficient  unto  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof. 
—Matt.  6 :  25-34. 

This  is  a  song  of  divine  carelessness;  not  the  recklessness 
of  a  tramp  who  has  lost  his  self-respect  and  his  capacity  for 
long  outlooks,  but  the  carelessness  of  an  aristocratic  spirit, 
conscious  of  his  high  human  dignity.  God  has  given  us  life; 
will  he  not  give  what  life  needs?  If  the  birds  and  the  lilies 
can  make  a  living,  can  not  we?  It  is  pagan  and  low-bred  to 
wear  out  our  souls  with  worry  about  minor  needs. 

The  key  to  this  passage  lies  in  the  words  "your  Father," 
and  "his  Kingdom."  Man  is  a  child  of  God,  and  that  dignity 
gives  some  calm  and  assurance  amid  the  worries  of  life. 
If  we  set  our  life  toward  the  Kingdom  as  the  supreme  aim, 
all  the  lesser  interests  will  drop  to  their  proper  place.  In 
the  measure  in  which  the  will  of  God  is  done  and  his 
righteousness  practiced  among  men,  the  satisfaction  of  the 
main  material  wants  will  be  easy.  The  Kingdom,  the  true 
social  order,  is  the  highest  good;  all  other  good  things  are 
contained  in  it. 

To  worry  or  not  to  worry,  that  is  the  question.  Have  we 
ever  tried  the  adoption  of  a  high  aim  as  the  way  to  happiness? 

Fifth  Day:  Sunny  Religion 

And  John's  disciples  and  the  Pharisees  were  fast- 
ing:   and   they   come   and    say   unto    him,    Why   do 

S3 


[IV -6]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

John's  disciples  and  the  disciples  of  the  Pharisees  fast, 
Ijut  thy  disciples  fast  not?  And  Jesus  said  unto 
them,  Can  the  sons  of  the  bridechamber  fast,  while 
the  bridegroom  is  with  them?  as  long  as  they  have 
the  bridegroom  with  them,  they  cannot  fast.  But 
the  days  will  come,  when  the  bridegroom  shall  be 
taken  away  from  them,  and  then  will  they  fast  in 
that  day.  No  man  seweth  a  piece  of  undressed  cloth 
on  an  old  garment :  else  that  which  should  fill  it  up 
taketh  from  it,  the  new  from  the  old,  and  a  worse 
rent  is  made.  And  no  man  putteth  new  wine  into 
old  wine-skins;  else  the  wine  will  burst  the  skins,  and 
the  wine  perisheth,  and  the  skins :  but  they  put  new 
wine  into  fresh  wine-skins. — Mark  2:   18-22. 

Fasting  was  an  importaiii  part  of  piety  with  strict  Jews. 
It  was  an  expression  of  religious  sorrow  and  self-abasement. 
Afflicting  the  body  intensified  this  spiritual  emotion.  The 
disciples  of  the  Pharisees  and  of  John  were  surprised  and 
shocked  by  the  fact  that  Jesus  and  his  group  disregarded  this 
custom.  The  reply  of  Jesus  shows  the  religious  temper  of 
Jesus  in  a  new  light.  He  says  his  disciples  were  happy, 
like  guests  at  a  wedding;  why  should  they  act  as  if  they 
were  mournful?  Fasting  was  alien  to  the  spirit  which  ruled 
in  his  company.  It  would  be  just  as  inappropriate  as  to 
patch  a  piece  of  unshrunken  stuff  on  an  old  garment,  or  to 
put  fermenting  wine  in  old  and  brittle  skin  bottles.  The 
religion  of  Jesus,  then,  was  distinguished  from  other  earnest 
religion  by  its  happy  and  sunny  character.  See  also  the  sharp 
distinction  he  makes  between  the  ascetic  life  of  John  and  his 
own  enjoyment  of  social  life  (Matt.  11:  16-19).  Yet  Jesus 
was  a  homeless  man,  moving  toward  death. 

There  seems  to  be  a  difference  between  the  self-denial  of 
ascetic  religion,  and  the  surrender  of  self  to  the  Kingdom  of 
God.     What  is  it? 

Sixth  Day  :  The  Poise  of  Expectancy 

Then  shall  the  kingdom  of  heaven  be  likened  unto 
ten  virgins,  who  took  their  lamps,  and  went  forth 

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THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD:  ITS  VALUES  [TV-6] 

to  meet  the  bridegroom.  And  five  of  them  were 
foolish,  and  five  were  wise.  For  the  foolish,  when 
they  took  their  lamps,  took  no  oil  with  them :  but 
the  wise  took  oil  in  their  vessels  with  their  lamps. 
Now  while  the  bridegroom  tarried,  they  all  slumbered 
and  slept.  But  at  midnight  there  is  a  cry.  Behold, 
the  bridegroom  I  Come  ye  forth  to  meet  him.  Then 
all  those  virgins  arose,  and  trimmed  their  lamps. 
And  the  foolish  said  unto  the  wise,  Give  us  of  your 
oil;  for  our  lamps  are  going  out.  But  the  wise  an- 
swered, saying,  Peradventure  there  will  not  be  enough 
for  us  and  you :  go  ye  rather  to  them  that  sell,  and 
buy  for  yourselves.  And  while  they  went  away  to 
•buy,  the  bridegroom  came;  and  they  that  were  ready 
went  in  with  him  to  the  marriage  feast:  and  the  door 
was  shut.  Afterward  came  also  the  other  virgins, 
saying,  Lord,  Lord,  open  to  us.  But  he  answered 
and  said.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  I  know  you  not. 
Watch  therefore,  for  ye  know  not  the  day  nor  the 
hour. — Matt.  25:  1-13. 

The  Lord  was  to  return  soon  and  consummate  the  estab- 
lishment of  his  Kingdom.  The  first  two  generations  of 
Christians  took  this  hope  very  seriously.  Expectancy  was 
the  true  pose  of  Christians.  Under  the  conditions  of  that 
time  this  was  their  way  of  declaring  that  the  Kingdom  of 
God  is  the  highest  good  and  that  all  our  life  should  be  con- 
centrated on  it.  If  Jesus  lived  today  he  could  find  even  more 
effective  exhortations  to  look  sharp  and  not  get  left.  But  is 
the  constant  expectation  of  a  divine  catastrophe  from  heaven 
possible  for  modern  minds?  Must  we  translate  that  expec- 
tation into  the  hope  of  moral  and  social  development?  By 
doing  so,  can  we  still  have  a  religious  sense  of  a  great  and 
divine  future  overhanging  humanity  which  will  give  to  our 
life  the  same  value  and  solemnity  which  the  first  generation 
felt? 

Explain  what  a  strong  social  hope  and  faith  would  con- 
tribute to  a  person's  life  in  the  course  of  years. 
How  do  faith  and  practical  social  effort  react  on  each  other  ? 

55 


[IV-7]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

Seventh  Day:  The  Coming  Joys 

Blessed  are  the  meek:  for  they  shall  inherit  the 
earth. 

Blessed  are  they  that  hunger  and  thirst  after 
righteousness:  for  they  shall  be  filled. 

Blessed  are  the  merciful:  for  they  shall  obtain 
mercy. 

Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart:  for  they  shall  see 
God. 

Blessed  are  the  peacemakers:  for  they  shall  be 
called  sons  of  God. 

Blessed  are  they  that  have  been  persecuted  for 
righteousness'  sake:  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of 
heaven. — Matt.  5:  5-10. 


In  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  Jesus  formally  outlined  his 
conceptions  of  ethical  and  religious  life  as  distinguished  from 
those  then  current.  It  was  the  platform  of  the  Kingdom  of 
God.  We  might  expect  it  to  begin  with  denunciation.  Instead 
it  opens  with  a  spontaneous  burst  of  joy.  A  great  good  was 
coming.  It  would  bring  a  store  of  blessings  to  all  who  had 
the  inward  qualifications  to  receive  them.  All  who  felt  the 
divine  dissatisfaction  with  themselves  and  the  craving  for 
social  justice  and  righteousness,  would  get  their  satisfaction 
(v.  3,  4,  6).  The  higher  social  virtues,  gentleness,  purity  of 
heart,  peaceableness,  would  get  recognition  and  gain  ascend- 
ancy (v.  5,  7,  8,  9).  But  the  climax  of  praise  and  promise 
is  for  those  who  propagated  righteousness  where  it  was  not 
wanted,  and  suffered  for  it  (v.  10-12).  "These  words  belong 
to  the  greatest  ever  uttered"  (Hegel).  They  are  pure  reli- 
gion, and  they  were  called  forth  by  religious  faith  in  a  social 
ideal. 

Have  we  known  men  and  women  who  had  some  of  these 
qualities,  who  lived  within  the  Kingdom  of  God,  and  who 
enjoyed  its  blessings?  If  they  have  ennobled  our  life,  let 
us  think  of  them  a  moment  with  a  silent  benediction. 

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THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD:  ITS  VALUES   [IV-s] 

Study  for  the  Week 

We  see  from  the  passages  we  have  studied  that  the  mind 
of  Jesus  was  centered  on  a  great  hope  which  was  just  ahead. 
It  was  so  beautiful  that  even  in  anticipation  it  was  filling 
his  soul  with  joy  and  he  knew  it  would  bless  all  who  shared 
in  it.  It  seemed  to  him  so  valuable  and  engrossing  that  a 
man  ought  to  stake  his  whole  life  on  attaining  it,  and 
subordinate  all  other  aims  to  this  dominant  desire. 


He  spoke  of  this  great  good  as  "the  Kingdom  of  God.'* 
Even  a  superficial  reading  of  the  first  three  Gospels  shows 
that  this  was  the  pivot  of  his  teaching.  Yet  he  nowhere 
defines  the  phrase.  He  took  an  understanding  of  it  for 
granted  with  his  hearers,  and  simply  announced  that  it  was 
now  close  at  hand,  and  they  must  act  accordingly.  What  did 
the  words  mean  to  them?  The  idea  covered  by  the  phrase 
was  an  historic  product  of  the  Jewish  people,  and  we  shall 
have  to  understand  it  as  such. 

The  Hebrew  prophets  had  concentrated  their  incompar- 
able religious  energy  on  the  simple  demand  for  righteousness, 
especially  in  social  and  national  life.  The  actual  life  of  the 
nation,  especially  of  its  ruling  classes,  of  course  never  squared 
with  the  religious  ideal.  The  injustice  and  oppression  around 
them  seemed  intolerable  to  the  prophets,  just  because  the 
ethical  imperative  within  them  was  so  strong.  So  their  un- 
satisfied desire  for  righteousness  took  the  form  of  an  ardent 
expectation  of  a  coming  day  when  things  would  be  as  they 
ought  to  be.  God  would  make  bare  his  holy  arm  to  punish 
the  wicked,  to  sift  the  good,  to  establish  his  law,  and  to 
vindicate  the  rights  of  the  oppressed.  This  great  "day  of 
Jehovah"  would  inaugurate  a  new  age,  the  Kingdom  of  God, 
the  Reign  of  God.  The  phrase,  then,  embodies  the  social 
ideal  of  the  finest  religious  minds  of  a  unique  people.  The 
essential  thing  in  it  is  the  projection  into  the  future  of  the 
demand  for  a  just  social  order.    The  prophets  looked  to  a 

57 


[iV-s]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

direct  miraculous  act  of  God  to  realize  their  vision,  but  they 
were  in  close  touch  with  the  facts  of  political  life  and  always 
demanded  social  action  on  the  human  side. 

Plato's  Republic  and  More's  Utopia  are  intellectual  produc- 
tions which  have  appealed  to  single  idealistic  minds.  The 
Hebrew  prophets  succeeded  in  socializing  their  ideal.  By  the 
force  of  religion  they  wrought  the  conception  of  the  Kingdom 
of  God  into  the  common  mind  of  a  nation  as  a  traditional 
conviction  which  was  assimilated  by  every  new  generation. 

But  when  a  great  idea  is  appropriated  by  the  masses,  it  is 
sure  to  become  cruder  to  suit  their  intellect  and  their  need ; 
and  when  a  national  ideal  is  handed  on  for  centuries,  it  will 
change  with  the  changing  fortunes  of  the  people  that  holds 
it.  When  the  Hebrew  nation  came  under  the  foreign  rule 
of  the  Assyrians,  Persians,  and  finally  the  Romans,  its  freedom 
and  chance  for  political  action  were  lost,  and  its  political 
ideals,  too,  deteriorated.  The  Kingdom  hope  became  theo- 
logical, artificial,  a  scheme  of  epochs  of  predetermined  length 
and  of  marvelous  stage  settings.  Yet,  even  in  this  form,  it 
was  a  splendid  hope  of  emancipation,  of  national  greatness, 
and  of  future  justice  and  fraternity,  and  it  helped  to  keep  the 
nation's   soul  alive  amid   crushing  sorrows. 

The  people  at  the  time  of  Jesus  in  the  main  held  this 
apocalyptic  conception  of  the  Kingdom.  It  was  to  come  as 
a  divine  catastrophe,  beginning  with  an  act  of  judgment  and 
resulting  in  a  glorious  Jewish  imperialism.  Jesus  shared  the 
substance  of  the  expectation,  but  as  a  true  spiritual  leader  he 
reconstructed,  clarified,  and  elevated  the  hope  of  the  masses. 
He  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  any  plans  involving  blood- 
shed and  force  revolution.  The  Hebrew  Jehovah  became 
"our  Father  in  heaven"  and  this  democratized  the  Reign  of 
Jehovah.  The  pious  Jew  expected  God  to  enforce  the  cere- 
monial laws;  Jesus  had  little  to  say  about  religious  cere- 
monial, and  a  great  deal  about  righteousness  and  love.  Under 
his  hands  the  Jewish  imperialistic  dream  changed  into  a  call 
for  universal  human  fraternity.  He  repeatedly  and  emphati- 
cally explained  the  coming  of  the  Kingdom  in  terms  taken 

58 


THE  KINGDOM  OP  GOD:  ITS  VALUES  [IV-s] 

from  biological  growth,  and  his  thoughts  seem  to  have  verged 
away  from  the  popular  catastrophic  ideas  toward  ideas  of 
organic  development.  These  changes — if  we  have  correctly 
interpreted  them — represent  Jesus'  own  contribution  to  the 
history  of  the  Kingdom  ideal,  and  they  are  all  in  the  same 
direction  in  which  the  modern  mind  has  moved.  (For  a 
fuller  statement  of  these  modifications  see  Rauschenbusch, 
"Christianizing  the  Social  Order,"  p.  48-68.) 


11 

So  much  by  way  of  historical  information.  Now  let  us 
emphasize  again  that  this  social  ideal  seemed  to  Jesus  so  fair 
and  fine  that  he  gave  his  whole  soul  to  it.  Naturally  he 
would.  Since  he  loved  men  and  believed  in  their  solidarity, 
the  conception  of  a  God-filled  humanity  living  in  a  righteous 
social  order,  which  would  give  free  play  to  love  and  would 
bind  all  in  close  ties,  would  be  the  only  satisfying  outlook  for 
him.  He  promised  that  all  who  hungered  and  thirsted  after 
righteousness  would  be  satisfied  in  the  Kingdom,  and  he  was 
himself  the  chief  of  these.  The  Kingdom  of  God  was  his 
fatherland,  in  which  his  spirit  lived  with  God;  and  with  that 
vision  of  perfect  humanity  before  him,  he  kept  its  calm  and 
traHquillity^aniid  the  enmity  of  men  as  he  sought  to  win  meq 
to  its  better  ways. 

The  Kingdom  of  God  is  the  highest  good.  The  idea  of  Go(} 
is  the  highest  and  most  comprehensive  conception  in  philos- 
ophy; the  idea  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  the  highest  and 
broadest  idea  in  sociology  and  ethics.  It  is  so  high  and  broad 
that  many  find  it  hard  even  to  grasp  the  idea.  Just  as  a 
barbaric  tribe  of  hunters  or  fishermen  would  find  it  impossible 
to  comprehend  the  social  coherence  and  the  patriotism  of  a 
nation  of  a  hundred  millions;  just  as  the  narrow  nationalist 
of  today  falls  down  intellectually  and  morally  when  he  con- 
fronts world-forces  and  relations :  so  we  who  are  trained  to 
think  in  terms  of  family  and  State,  give  out  when  we  are  to 
treat  the  Kingdom  of  God  as  a  reality.    It  takes  faith  of  the 

59 


[IV-s]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

intellect  to  comprehend  a  stage  of  evolution  before  it  is 
reached.  It  takes  faith  of  character  to  launch  yourself  toward 
a  great  moral  goal  before  its  tangible  and  profitable  elements 
are  within  reach.  It  takes  more  moral  daring  today  than  for 
a  century  past  to  believe  in  the  reemergence  and  final  victory 
of  God's  social  order.  But  this  is  the  time  for  all  true 
believers  to  square  their  shoulders  and  say  with  Galileo,  "And 
yet  it  moves." 

Any  man  whose  soul  is  kindled  by  the  conception  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God  is  a  real  man.  Whoever  loves  the  idea, 
must  turn  it  into  reality  as  far  as  life  lets  him.  Whoever 
tries  it,  will  suffer.  But  even  if  he  suffers,  he  will  be  more 
blessed  and  more  truly  a  man  than  he  would  be  if  he  did  not 
try.  In  seeking  the  Kingdom  he  realizes  himself.  "He  that 
loseth  his  life  for  my  sake,  shall  find  it." 

Ill 

Jesus  bade  us  "seek  first  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  his 
righteousness,"  and  he  obeyed  his  own  call.  The  main  object 
of  his  life  was  the  ideal  social  order  and  the  perfect  ethic. 
Now  if  Jesus  is  our  ideal  of  human  goodness,  is  any  goodness 
good  unless  it  works  in  the  same  direction?  If  a  man  is  of 
flawless  private  life,  but  is  indifferent  to  any  social  ideal,  or 
even  hostile  to  all  attempts  at  better  justice  and  greater 
fraternity,  is  he  really  good?  Even  a  strong  desire  for 
personal  perfection,  if  there  is  no  desire  for  a  regeneration 
of  society  in  it,  must  be  rated  as  sub-Christian  because  it  is 
lacking  in  the  sense  of  solidarity  and  may  be  lacking  in  love. 

Suggestions  for  Thought  and  Discussion 

I.    The  Power  of  a  Great  Idea 

1.  Did  the  idea  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  ever  play  a 
part  in  your  religious  education  ? 

2.  Did  you  feel  any  response  to  it  in  studying  this  lesson  ? 
Does  it  have  reality? 

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THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD:  ITS  VALUES   [IV-sJ 

3.  Suppose  an  entire  study  group  should  fail  to  see  any- 
thing in  it,  would  that  prove  it  valueless? 

II.  Historical  Changes  in  the  Kingdom  Ideal 

1.  How  did  the  Kingdom  ideal  take  shape  in  the  minds 
of  the  Hebrew  prophets? 

2.  Explain  the  nature  of  the  apocalyptic  hope  and  its 
divergence  from  the  prophetic  ideal. 

3.  What  passages  seem  to  throw  the  most  light  on  Jesus' 
conception  of  it,  and  his  feeling  about  it?  What  do  you 
think  about  the  Beatitudes  from  this  point  of  view? 

4.  At  what  points  did  Jesus  clarify  and  elevate  the  hered- 
itary hope  of  his  nation?  Summarize  the  conception  of 
the  Kingdom  as  it  lay  in  the  mind  of  Jesus. 

III.  Present  Possibilities  of  the  Kingdom  Idea 

1.  What  value  would  the  preaching  of  the  Kingdom  of 
God  have  in  evangelistic  work  today? 

2.  How  would  it  affect  religious  education  and  the  moral 
outlook  of  the  young? 

3.  How  would  the  possession  of  the  Kingdom  faith  equip 
the  Church  for  leadership  in  an  age  of  social  movements 
and  unrest? 

4.  How  does  the  Kingdom  hope  add  to  the  joyousness 
of  the  Christian  life? 

5.  How  does  Jesus'  conception  of  the  Kingdom  of  God 
connect  with  the  great  social  and  national  hopes  of  today? 

IV.  For  Special  Discussion 

1.  How  does  a  man  realize  himself  in  seeking  the  King- 
dom? How  does  a  man  realize  the  Kingdom  in  developing 
himself? 

2.  Does  the  idea  seem  to  offer  a  religious  vehicle  for 
conceptions  you  have  derived  from  sociological  work? 

3.  Does  a  social  concept  like  the  "Kingdom  of  God"  gain 

61 


[IV-s]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

anything    for    its    practical    efficiency    today    from    being 
ancient,  and  from  being  religious? 

4.    Will  such  a  concept  ever  be  effective  with  the  masses 
unless  it  is  essentially  religious? 


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CHAPTER  V 
THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD:   ITS  TASKS 

The  Right  Social  Order  is  the  Supreme  Task  for  Each 

The  perfect  social  order  is  the  highest  good.  In  so  far 
as  it  is  a  gift  of  God,  offered  to  the  individual  like  the  fertile 
earth  and  the  oxygen  of  the  air,  we  must  appropriate  it 
and  enjoy  every  approximation  to  the  perfect  society. 
But  what  is  the  responsibility  of  the  individual  toward  the 
achievement  of  the  ideal  social  order?  What  task  does  it  lay 
on  him?  How  did  Jesus  see  this  problem?  It  is  finely  stated 
in  the  words  with  which  Emile  de  Laveleye  closes  his  book 
"Sur  la  propriete" :  "There  is  a  social  order  which  is  the  best. 
Necessarily  it  is  not  always  the  present  order.  Else  why 
should  we  seek  to  change  the  latter?  But  it  is  that  order 
which  ought  to  exist  to  realize  the  greatest  good  for  hu- 
manity. God  knows  it  and  wills  it.  It  is  for  man  to  discover 
and  establish  it." 

What,  then,  is  the  responsibility  of  the  individual  with> 
regard  to  the  achievement  of  this  highest  good? 

Daily  Readings 

First  Day:  The  Kingdom  of  Hard  Work 

For    it    is    as    when    a    man,    going    into    another  ' 

country,  called  his  own  servants,  and  delivered  untO' 
them  his  goods.  And  unto  one  he  gave  five  talents, 
to  another  two,  to  another  one ;  to  each  according 
to  his  several  ability;  and  he  went  on  his  journey. 
Straightway  he  that  received  the  five  talents  went, 
and  traded  with  them,  and  made  other  five  talents*. 

63 


[V-i]       THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

In  like  manner  he  also  that  received  the  two  gained 
other  two.  But  he  that  received  the  one  went  away 
and  digged  in  the  earth,  and  hid  his  lord's  money. 
Now  after  a  long  time  the  lord  of  those  servants 
Cometh,  and  maketh  a  reckoning  with  them.  And 
he  that  received  the  five  talents  came  and  brought 
other  five  talents,  saying.  Lord,  thou  deliveredst  unto 
me  five  talents :  lo,  I  have  gained  other  five  talents. 
His  lord  said  unto  him,  Well  done,  good  and  faith- 
ful servant:  thou  hast  been  faithful  over  a  few 
things,  I  will  set  thee  over  many  things;  enter  thou 
into  the  joy  of  thy  lord.  And  he  also  that  received 
the  two  talents  came  and  said,  Lord,  thou  dehveredst 
unto  me  two  talents :  lo,  I  have  gained  other  two 
talents.  His  lord  said  unto  him.  Well  done,  good 
and  faithful  servant:  thou  hast  been  faithful  over  a 
few  things,  I  will  set  thee  over  many  things ;  enter 
thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  lord.  And  he  also  that  had 
received  the  one  talent  came  and  said,  Lord,  I  knew 
thee  that  thou  art  a  hard  man,  reaping  where  thou 
didst  not  sow,  and  gathering  where  thou  didst  not 
scatter;  and  I  was  afraid,  and  went  away  and  hid 
thy  talent  in  the  earth :  lo,  thou  hast  thine  own. 
But  his  lord  answered  and  said  unto  him.  Thou 
wicked  and  slothful  servant,  thou  knewest  that  I 
reap  where  I  sowed  not,  and  gather  where  I  did  not 
scatter;  thou  oughtest  therefore  to  have  put  my 
money  to  the  bankers,  and  at  my  coming  I  should 
have  received  back  mine  own  with  interest.  Take 
ye  away  therefore  the  talent  from  him,  and  give  it 
unto  him  that  hath  the  ten  talents.  For  unto  every 
one  that  hath  shall  be  given,  and  he  shall  have 
abundance :  but  from  him  that  hath  not,  even  that 
which  he  hath  shall  be  taken  away.  And  cast  ye  out 
the  unprofitable  servant  into  the  outer  darkness : 
there  shall  be  the  weeping  and  the  gnashing  of  teeth. 
— Matt.  25:  14-30. 

Evidently  the  sympathy  of  Jesus  was  with  the  two  men 
who  hustled,  and  not  with  the  fellow  who  took  it  out  in 
growling  and  blaming  the  boss.     Jesus  would  have  agreed 

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THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD:  ITS  TASKS      [V-2] 

to  the  proposition  that  to  live  an  unproductive  life  is  one 
of  the  cardinal  sins.  Evolution  and  Christianity  agree 
on  that.  This  exhortation  to  do  good  work  was  given 
when  Jesus  was  looking  forward  to  his  death  and  his  ab- 
sence. He  would  leave  the  Kingdom  of  God  as  an  un- 
finished task.  He  wanted  his  disciples  to  carry  forward 
their  Master's  business  under  their  own  initiative  when  he 
was  not  there  to  direct  them.  The  new  conditions  would 
throw  even  heavier  responsibilities  on  them. 

Can  you  translate  this  parable  into  terms  of  college  life 
and  sketch  three  college  students  as  companion  pieces  to 
the  three  business  men? 

Second  Day:  The  Call  to  Action 

And  passing  along  by  the  sea  of  Galilee,  he  saw 
Simon  and  Andrew  the  brother  of  Simon  casting 
a  net  in  the  sea;  for  they  were  fishers.  And  Jesus 
said  unto  them,  Come  ye  after  me,  and  I  will  make 
you  to  become  fishers  of  men.  And  straightway 
they  left  the  nets,  and  followed  him.  And  going 
on  a  little  further,  he  saw  James  the  son  of  Zebedee, 
and  John  his  brother,  who  also  were  in  the  boat 
mending  the  nets.  And  straightway  he  called  them: 
and  they  left  their  father  Zebedee  in  the  boat  with 
the  hired  servants,  and  went  after  him. — Mark  l : 
16-20. 

And  as  Jesus  passed  by  from  thence,  he  saw  a 
man,  called  Matthew,  sitting  at  the  place  of  toll: 
and  he  saith  unto  him.  Follow  me.  And  he  arose 
and   followed  him. — Matt.   9:   9. 

And  as  they  went  on  the  way,  a  certain  man  said 
unto  him,  I  will  follow  thee  whithersoever  thou 
goest.  And  Jesus  said  unto  him.  The  foxes  have 
holes,  and  the  birds  of  the  heaven  have  nests;  but 
the  Son  of  man  hath  not  where  to  lay  his  head. 
And  he  said  unto  another,  Follow  me.  But  he  said, 
Lord,   suffer   me   first   to   go   and   bury   my    father. 


[V-3]       THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  lESUS 

But  he  said  unto  him,  Leave  the  dead  to  bury  their 
own  dead ;  but  go  thou  and  publish  abroad  the  king- 
dom of  God.  And  another  also  said,  I  will  follow 
thee.  Lord ;  but  first  suffer  me  to  bid  farewell  to 
them  that  are  at  my  house.  But  Jesus  said  unto 
him,  No  man,  having  put  his  hand  to  the  plow,  and 
looking  back,  is  fit  for  the  kingdom  of  God. — Luke 
9:  57-62. 

The  way  in  which  Jesus  called  his  disciples  shows  that  he 
felt  he  had  a  big  business  in  hand.  It  was  a  call  to  action, 
to  conflict  and  loss,  and  there  was  snap  in  it.  Leaving 
their  boats  and  nets  doubtless  seemed  a  big  proposition  to 
these  four  fishermen ;  but  they  did  it.  Matthew  had  to  give 
up  a  government  job  with  pickings.  These  five  rose  to  their 
chance  with  courageous  decision,  and  their  names  are  still 
borne  by  millions  of  boys  today.  The  names  of  the  other 
three  are  lost  to  fame.  One  of  them  gushed  and  Jesus 
cooled  off  his  emotions.  The  second  and  third  wanted  to 
procrastinate  and  hid  behind  social  obligations.  Note  that 
epigram  about  the  ploughman.  It  is  a  splendid  expression  of 
intelligent  and  concentrated  energy.  You  can't  drive  a 
straight  furrow  while  you  "rubber."  You've  got  to  "tend 
to  your  job." 

Four  of  the  first  five  are  said  to  have  died  a  violent  death. 
Would  they  have  been  wiser  if  they  had  looked  out  for 
Number  One? 

Third  Day:  The  Futility  of  Talk 

Not  every  one  that  saith  unto  me,  Lord,  Lord, 
shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven;  but  he  that 
doeth  the  will  of  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven. 
Many  will  say  to  me  in  that  day,  Lord,  Lord,  did 
we  not  prophesy  by  thy  name,  and  by  thy  name 
cast  out  demons,  and  by  thy  name  do  many  mighty 
works?  And  then  will  I  profess  unto  them,  I  never 
icnew  you:  depart  from  me,  ye  that  work  iniquity. 

Every  one  therefore  that  heareth  these  words  of 
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THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD:  ITS  TASKS      [V-4] 

mine,  and  doeth  them,  shall  be  likened  unto  a  wise 
man,  who  built  his  house  upon  the  rock:  and  the 
rain  descended,  and  the  floods  came,  and  the  winds 
•blew,  and  beat  upon  that  house;  and  it  fell  not:  for 
it  was  founded  upon  the  rock.  And  every  one  tliat 
heareth  these  words  of  mine,  and  doeth  them  not, 
shall  be  likened  unto  a  foolish  man,  who  built  his 
house  upon  the  sand :  and  the  rain  descended,  and 
the  floods  came,  and  the  winds  blew,  and  smote  upon 
that  house;  and  it  fell:  and  great  was  the  fall 
thereof. — Matt.   7:   21-27. 

Jesus  evidently  felt  deeply  the  emptiness  and  futility  of 
much  of  the  religious  talk.  He  was  interested  only  in  those 
emotions  and  professions  which  could  get  themselves  trans- 
lated into  character  and  action.  Words  have  always  been 
the  bane  of  religion  as  well  as  its  vehicle.  Religious  emotion 
has  enormous  motive  force,  but  it  is  the  easiest  thing  in  the 
world  for  it  to  sizzle  away  in  high  professions  and  wordy 
prayers.  In  that  case  it  is  a  substitute  and  counterfeit,  and 
a  damage  to  the  Reign  of  God  among  men. 

How  about  our  own  religious  talk? 

Would  it  be  better,  then,  to  give  up  preaching  and  public 
prayer  ? 

What  has  the  utterance  of  religion  done  for  us? 

Fourth  Day:  This  Camel  Passed  Through 

And  he  entered  and  was  passing  through  Jericho. 
And  behold,  a  man  called  by  name  Zacchaeus ;  and 
he  was  a  chief  publican,  and  he  was  rich.  And  he 
sought  to  see  Jesus  who  he  was ;  and  could  not  for 
the  crowd,  because  he  was  little  of  stature.  And  he 
ran  on  before,  and  climbed  up  into  a  sycomore  tree 
to  see  him :  for  he  was  to  pass  that  way.  And  when 
Jesus  came  to  the  place,  he  looked  up,  and  said 
unto  him,  Zacchaeus,  make  haste,  and  come  down; 
for  to-day  I  must  abide  at  thy  house.  And  he  made 
haste,  and  came  down,  and  received  him  joyfully. 
And  when  they  saw  it,  they  all  murmured,  saying, 


[V-5]       THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

He  is  gone  in  to  lodge  with  a  man  that  is  a  sinner. 
And  Zacchseus  stood,  and  said  unto  the  Lord,  Be- 
hold, Lord,  the  half  of  my  goods  I  give  to  the  poor; 
and  if  I  have  wrongfully  exacted  aught  of  any  man, 
I  restore  fourfold.  And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  To-day 
is  salvation  come  to  this  house,  forasmuch  as  he  also 
is  a  son  of  Abraham.  For  the  Son  of  man  came  to 
seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost. — Luke  19:  i-io. 

Zacchaeus  was  engaged  in  the  profitable  but  shady  busi- 
ness of  farming  the  Roman  taxing  system  in  one  of  the 
richest  districts  of  Palestine.  He  was  a  politician  and  busi- 
ness man  combined,  and  the  kind  of  man  that  is  "bound  to 
land."  Being  only  five  feet  one  he  had  no  chance  amid 
a  crowd  in  a  narrow  street  watching  a  procession.  So  he 
climbed  a  tree.  Imagine  a  corporation  president  climbing 
a  telegraph  post  to  see  Jesus!  This  spirit  of  determination 
appealed  to  Jesus  and  he  promptly  made  friends  with  him, 
though  he  well  knew  he  would  lose  some  more  of  his  repu- 
tation by  identifying  himself  with  a  publican.  Zacchaeus 
proved  his  fitness  for  the  Kingdom  of  God  by  parting  with 
his  accumulated  graft  at  a  single  sweep.  Fifty  per  cent 
of  his  property  given  away  outright;  the  balance  used  to 
make  restitution  at  the  rate  of  four  hundred  per  cent — how 
much  was  left?  Here  a  camel  passed  through  the  needle's 
eye,  and  Jesus  stood  and  cheered. 

At  what  points  is  the  moral  energy  of  college  men  and 
women  most  severely  tested?  Where  do  they  meet  their 
great  spiritual  decisions? 

Fifth  Day:  Will  in  Prayer 

And  he  spake  a  parable  unto  them  to  the  end  that 
they  ought  always  to  pray,  and  not  to  faint;  saying, 
There  was  in  a  city  a  judge,  who  feared  r»ot  God, 
and  regarded  not  man :  and  there  was  a  widow  in 
that  city;  and  she  came  oft  unto  him,  saying.  Avenge 
me  of  mine  adversary.  And  he  would  not  for  a 
while :  but  afterward  he  said  within  himself,  Though 
68 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD:  ITS  TASKS      [V-6] 

I  fear  not  God,  nor  regard  man ;  yet  because  this 
widow  troubleth  me,  I  will  avenge  her,  lest  she 
wear  me  out  by  her  continual  coming.  And  the 
Lord  said.  Hear  what  the  unrighteous  judge  saith. 
And  shall  not  God  avenge  his  elect,  that  cry  to  him 
day  and  night,  and  yet  he  is  longsuffering  over 
them? — Luke  i8:   1-7. 

In  most  of  his  sayings  on  prayer  Jesus  either  objected  to 
the  wordiness  of  prayers  (Matt.  6:  5-13),  or  he  demanded 
more  will  and  persistence.  In  the  story  of  the  widow  and 
the  judge  the  odds  were  against  the  widow.  Being  only  a 
widow  she  had  no  pull  and  no  vote.  The  judge  was  frankly 
a  tough  case,  untouched  by  religion  and  conscience,  and 
thick-skinned  as  to  public  opinion.  Yet  the  widow  won  out 
by  sheer  doggedness.  Surely  the  mind  that  sketched  the 
reiterating  widow  and  the  collapsing  politician  had  an  ad- 
miring eye  for  energy  of  action.  Jesus  wanted  that  spirit 
and  determination  put  into  prayer.  But  note  that  he  was 
thinking,  not  of  personal  edification,  nor  of  private  benefits 
to  be  obtained,  but  of  the  "avenging  of  God's  elect";  that 
is,  of  straightening  out  the  affairs  of  the  world  so  that  the 
wrongs  of  the  righteous  would  be  .redressed.  A  keen  social 
consciousness  about  the  condition  of  God's  people,  coupled 
with  "hunger  and  thirst  for  justice,"  can  turn  prayer  into 
action. 

Have  we  any  experience  of  prayer  concentrated  on  great 
public  evils?  How  does  that  differ  from  prayers  centering 
about  our  own  interests?  (See  Fosdick,  "The  Meaning  of 
Prayer,"  Chapter  X.) 

Sixth  Day  :  Twelve  against  the  Field 

And  as  ye  go,  preach,  saying.  The  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  at  hand.  Heal  the  sick,  raise  the  dead, 
cleanse  the  lepers,  cast  out  demons :  freely  ye  re- 
ceived, freely  give.  Get  you  no  gold,  nor  silver, 
nor  brass  in  your  purses:  no  wallet  for  your  journey, 

69 


[V-7]       THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

neither  two  coats,  nor  shoes,  nor  staff :  for  the 
laborer  is  worthy  of  his  food.  And  into  whatsoever 
city  or  village  ye  shall  enter,  search  out  who  in  it 
is  worthy;  and  there  abide  till  ye  go  forth.  .  .  . 
And  whosoever  shall  not  receive  you,  nor  hear  your 
words,  as  ye  go  forth  out  of  that  house  or  that  city, 
shake  off  the  dust  of  your  feet.  Verily  I  say  unto 
you,  It  shall  be  more  tolerable  for  the  land  of 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah  in  the  day  of  judgment,  than 
for  that  city.  .  .  .  And  be  not  afraid  of  them  that 
kill  the  body,  but  are  not  able  to  kill  the  soul. — 
Matt  10 :  7-II,  14-15,  28a. 

This  whole  chapter  expresses  with  immense  vitality  the 
heroic  spirit  called  forth  by  the  Kingdom  propaganda.  Jesus 
sent  these  twelve  men  through  the  villages  of  Galilee  to 
duplicate  and  multiply  what  he  was  doing.  The  natural 
leaders  of  society,  the  able,  the  educated,  the  powerful,  were 
concerned  in  setting  up  their  own  kingdom  and  enslaving 
their  fellows  to  serve  them.  So  Jesus  took  what  material  he 
had,  peasants  and  fishermen,  and  created  a  new  leadership. 
He  flung  them  against  existing  society,  knowing  well  that 
they  would  have  to  face  opposition.  In  fact,  they  were 
destined,  one  by  one,  to  go  to  death  for  their  cause.  He 
tells  them  not  to  mind  a  little  thing  like  death,  but  to  do 
their  work  and  rally  the  people  around  the  idea  of  the 
Reign  of  God, 

Can  the  men  and  women  who  are  today  trying  to  rebuild 
human  society  on  a  basis  of  social  justice  and  fraternity 
claim  any  right  of  succession  in  the  sending  of  the  Twelve? 

Seventh  Day  :  Doing  All,  and  Then  Some 

But  who  is  there  of  you,  having  a  servant  plowing 
or  keeping  sheep,  that  will  say  unto  him,  when  he 
is  come  in  from  the  field,  Come  straightway  and  sit 
down  to  meat ;  and  will  not  rather  say  unto  him. 
Make  ready  wherewith  I  may  sup,  and  gird  thyself, 
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THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD:  ITS  TASKS       [V-s] 

and  serve  me,  till  I  have  eaten  and  drunken ;  and 
afterward  thou  shalt  eat  and  drink?  Doth  he  thank 
the  servant  because  he  did  the  things  that  were  com- 
manded? Even  so  ye  also,  when  ye  shall  have  done 
all  the  things  that  are  commanded  you,  say,  We  are 
unprofitable  servants ;  we  have  done  that  which  it 
was  our  duty  to  do. — Luke  17:  7-10. 

Jesus  often  boldly  took  his  illustrations  from  the  facts 
of  life  even  when  they  were  repellent  to  him.  Here  he 
holds  up  the  joyless  life  of  a  Syrian  agricultural  laborer. 
After  plodding  all  day  in  the  field,  this  man  comes  home, 
tired  and  hungry.  Is  he  promptly  cared  for?  No,  he  must 
first  cook  and  serve  his  master's  meal.  Then  he  can  eat 
what's  left.  Does  he  get  any  thanks  for  working  overtime? 
Not  a  thank.  Now,  says  Jesus,  what  this  man  does  under 
the  hard  coercion  of  his  lot,  you  and  I  must  do  of  our 
own  free  will.  After  we  have  done  a  man's  work,  let  us 
go  and  do  some  more  for  the  sake  of  the  cause,  and  dis- 
claim praise.  That  spirit  of  utter  service  is,  in  fact,  the 
spirit  in  which  men  work  when  the  Kingdom  vision  gets 
hold  of  them.  They  become  greedy  for  work  and  can  not 
satisfy  themselves.  The  strong  and  inspired  men  always  feel 
at  the  end  that  they  have  not  done  half  they  ought  to  have 
done.  The  last  words  of  Martin  Luther,  scribbled  on  a 
scrap  of  paper,  were:  "We  are  beggars.     That's  true." 

What  would  Jesus  say  to  a  college  student  who  is  chron- 
ically tired  and  who  feels  that  he  is  laying  his  professors  and 
his  father  under  heavy  obligation  by  working  at  all? 

Study  for  the  Week 

Is  it  not  a  strange  fate  that  down  to  the  most  recent 
times  art  has  pictured  Jesus  all  meek  and  gentle,  and  theology 
has  emphasized  his  passive  suffering?  Yet  he  was  high- 
power  energy.  His  epigrams  and  hyperboles  crack  like  a 
whip-lash.    He  was  up  before  dawn.    He  always  rose  to  the 

71 


[V-s]       THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

sight  of  human  need.  To  do  the  will  of  his  Father  was  meat 
and  drink  to  him.  His  life  was  a  combat.  He  faced  oppo- 
sition without  flinching  and  "stedfastly  set  his  face  to  go 
up  to  Jerusalem"  when  he  knew  it  meant  death.  Even  when 
he  stood  silent  before  the  court  and  when  he  hung  nailed  to 
the  gallows,  he  was  a  spiritual  force  in  action  and  men 
were  disturbed  and  afraid  before  him. 


He  communicated  energy  to  others.  He  hated  mere  talk 
and  discouraged  fruitless  theorizing.  He  praised  energetic 
action  when  he  found  it,  as  in  the  case  of  Zacchseus,  and  of 
the  men  who  climbed  the  roof  with  a  paralytic  man  and 
dug  up  the  roofing  to  let  him  down  to  Jesus,  He  called 
that  sort  of  thing  "faith."  Faith,  in  Jesus'  use  of  the  word, 
did  not  mean  shutting  your  eyes  and  folding  your  hands. 
He  said  it  was  an  explosive  that  could  remove  mountains. 
He  gave  three  of  his  disciples  nicknames,  and  they  were 
all  given  to  express  forcefulness ;  Simon  he  called  Peter, 
the  Rock;  and  James  and  John  he  called  Boanerges,  the 
sons  of  thunder.  He  sent  his  disciples  open-eyed  to  face 
trouble;  he  told  them  the  wolves  were  waiting  for  them,  but 
to  rejoice  and  be  exceeding  glad  for  the  chance  of  lining  up 
against  them.  Let  us  clear  our  minds  forever  of  the  idea 
that  Jesus  was  a  mild  and  innocuous  person  who  parted  his 
hair  and  beard  in  the  middle,  and  turned  his  disciples  into 
mollycoddles.     Away  with  it  1 

Though  the  spirit  of  Jesus  has  never  had  more  than  half 
a  chance  in  historic  Christianity,  yet  it  is  demonstrable  that 
the  total  efficiency  of  humanity,  the  bulk  of  work  done,  and 
the  capacity  for  heroic  tension  of  energies  have  been  greatly 
increased  by  it.  Taking  it  on  the  smallest  scale — every  real 
conversion  means  a  break  with  debasing  habits,  with  alco- 
holism, with  the  waste  of  sexual  energies ;  it  means  more 
self-control,  more  responsiveness  to  duty,  more  capacity  to 
take  a  long  outlook,  and  consequently  better  work.     We  can 

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THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD:  ITS  TASKS      [V-s] 

observe  this  in  ourselves  and  others.  We  still  need  the 
coercion  of  stern  necessity  and  of  public  opinion  to  keep  us 
straight,  but  an  inward  compulsion  is  added.  A  Christian 
carries  his  policeman  around  inside  of  him.  Where  Christi- 
anity gets  a  really  firm  hold  on  men  or  w^omen,  especially  if 
there  is  a  basis  of  natural  ability,  it  pushes  them  on  to  lead 
in  moral  movements  and  they  break  a  way  for  human 
progress. 

When  Christianity  multiplies  such  cases,  and  makes  sober- 
ness, duty,  and  hard  work  the  habit  of  entire  communities, 
we  have  a  social  fact  of  first-class  importance ;  for  the  human 
animal  is  naturally  lazy,  sluggish,  and  inclined  to  live  for 
today.  The  capacity  to  subordinate  immediate  gratification 
for  a  future  good  is  scarce;  the  capacity  to  subordinate 
selfish  advantage  to  a  great  common  and  moral  good  is 
scarcer  still. 

We  can  see  this  force  working  on  a  larger  scale  on  the 
foreign  mission  field  where  Christianity  is  a  new  social  energy. 
There  it  is  easier  to  disentangle  it  from  other  social  forces. 
What  are  the  comparative  results  when  it  gets  a  lodgment  in 
a  single  social  class  or  tribal  group?  This  question  will 
bear  watching  during  the  next  fifty  years.  The  full  social 
results  of  Christianity  will  not  show  till  the  third  generation. 

We  get  another  demonstration  of  increased  working  effi- 
ciency in  humanity  wherever  Christianity  has  passed  through 
an  internal  purification  which  has  set  free  more  of  its  spiritual 
energies.  What,  for  instance,  has  been  the  historic  connec- 
tion between  the  development  of  capitalistic  industry  in 
Holland,  England,  and  France,  and  the  sober  and  frugal 
piety  and  patient  laboriousness  created  in  the  Calvinists  of 
Holland,  the  Puritans  of  England,  and  the  Huguenots  of 
France  ? 

II 

The  contributions  made  by  Christianity  to  the  working 
efficiency  and  the  constructive  social  abilities  of  humanity  in 
the  past  have  been  mainly  indirect.    The  main  aim  set  before 

73 


[V-s]       THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

Christians  was  to  save  their  souls  from  eternal  woe,  to  have 
communion  with  God  now  and  hereafter,  and  to  live  God- 
fearing lives.  It  was  individualistic  religion,  concentrated 
on  the  life  to  come.  Its  social  effectiveness  was  largely  a 
by-product.  What,  now,  would  have  been  the  result  if 
Christianity  had  placed  an  equally  strong  emphasis  on  the 
Kingdom  of  Godj  tkeideal  .social  order?  Other  things  being 
equal,  a  Christian  father  and  mother  are  better  parents  than 
others  because  they  have  more  sense  of  duty,  more  love, 
and  a  higher  valuation  of  spiritual  things.  But  if,  in  addition, 
they  have  a  religious  desire  for  a  higher  social  order  and 
realize  that  noble  children  are  a  splendid  contribution  to  it, 
how  will  that  affect  their  parenthood?  A  teacher,  artist,  or 
scientist  who  is  also  a  religious  man,  will  do  conscientious 
work  if  he  works  under  the  motives  of  individualistic  religion. 
But  if  he  has  a  vjsion  of  the  Kingdom  oi_  God  on  earth  and 
sees  the  contributions  he  can  make  to  it,  will  not  that  raise 
the  character  of  his  output?  A  business  man  of  strong 
Christian  character  will  work  hard,  keep  his  word  in  busi- 
ness, and  deal  fairly  with  employes  and  customers.  But 
would  not  a  new  direction  be  given  to  his  moral  energies  if 
his  religion  taught  him  that  he  must  help  to  shape  the  work- 
ings of  industry  and  trade  so  that  hereafter  there  will  be  no 
fundamental  clash  between  business  and  the  morals  of 
Christianity  ? 

What  the  world  of  Christian  men  and  women  needs  is  to 
have  a  great  social  objective  set  before  them  and  laid  on 
their  conscience  with  the  authority  of  religion.  Then  reli- 
gion would  get  behind  social  evolution  in  earnest. 

This  would  be  no  new  and  foreign  element  imported  into 
our  religion.  It  would  be  a  modern  revival  of  the  doctrine  of 
Jesus  himself,  which  has  been  too  long  submerged  and 
neglected.  One  chief  reason  why  it  was  side-tracked  is  that 
no  despotic  State  and  no  society  dominated  by  a  predatory 
class  ever  wanted  religion  applied  to  a  reconstruction  of  the 
social  order.  The  idea  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  reawoke 
with  the  rise  of  modern  democracy.    Now  is  the  time  for  it. 

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THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD:  ITS  TASKS       [V-s] 

III 

The  idea  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  not  identified  with  any 
special  social  theory.  It  means  justice,  freedom,  fraternity, 
labor,  joy.  Let  each  social  system  and  movement  show  us 
what  it  can  contribute  and  we  will  weigh  its  claims.  We 
want  the  old  ideal  defined  in  modern  terms,  in  the  terms 
of  modern  democracy,  of  the  power  machine,  of  international 
peace,  and  of  evolutionary  science.  But  we  want  to  embrace 
it  with  the  old  religious  faith  and  ardor,  so  that  we  can 
pray  over  it. 

This  great  task  of  establishing  a  righteous  social  life  on 
earth  embraces  all  minor  tasks  in  so  far  as  they  are  good. 
The  mother  who  tries  to  make  a  good  home,  the  farmer 
who  feeds  the  people,  the  teacher  who  trains  them,  the 
scientist  who  gets  the  facts  for  all,  the  merchant,  the  work- 
ingman,  the  artist,  the  leader  in  play — they  are  all  contribut- 
ing to  the  Kingdom,  provided  they  view  their  work  so,  and 
are  trying  to  put  an  evolutionary  plus  into  it  which  will  lift 
the  total  nearer  to  the  divine  will.  The  Kingdom  is  the 
supreme  task,  and  all  small  tasks  are  part  of  it.  That  gives 
every  man  a  place  in  it  who  works — where  is  the  idler's  place 
in  it? — and  it  hallows  all  good  work  with  religious  glory. 

It  may  seem  as  if  this  social  aim  of  religion  may  depreciate 
the  aim  of  developing  our  own  personality  and  of  saving  our 
souls.  It  ought  not.  Sometimes  it  does  for  a  time.  But  we 
are  each  so  enormously  important  to  ourselves  that  we  are 
not  likely  to  forget  ourselves,  and  the  practical  struggle  with 
temptation  and  sorrow  will  teach  us  to  seek  strength  for  our 
personal  needs  from  Christ.  In  time  we  shall  learn  to  say 
with  Jesus,  "For  their  sakes  I  sanctify  myseU,  that  they  also 
may  be  sanctified."  In  time  surrender  to  the  Kingdom  ideal, 
toil  for  it,  self-denial  for  it,  cooperation  with  others  for  it, 
will  have  the  strongest  kind  of  reactions  on  ourselves  and 
our  moral  fiber.  Gymnasium  work  is  all  right,  but  real  work 
in  the  open  is  better.  We  are  most  durably  saved  by  putting 
in  hard  work  for  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

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[V-s]       THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

In  every  great  task  a  religious  man  is  consciously  thrown 
back  on  the  aid  of  God — most  of  all  in  the  greatest  task  of 
all.  Eternal  powers  are  cooperating  with  our  puny  efforts. 
That  alone  guarantees  that  our  work  is  not  wasted.  We 
plant  and  water,  but  unless  God's  sun  shines  upon  it,  our  work 
is  nothing.  He  is  a  fool  that  is  not  reverent  and  humble. 
We  sorely  need  this  faith  in  the  collaboration  and  patience  of 
God  today  when  so  much  of  the  best  spiritual  achievement 
of  mankind  is  swept  away,  and  we  seem  far  away  from  a 
kingdom  of  love.  "As  the  heavens  are  higher  than  the 
earth,  so  are  my  ways  higher  than  your  ways,  and  my 
thoughts  than  your  thoughts." 


IV 

Here,  then,  we  have  another  social  principle  of  Jesus.  A 
collective  moral  ideal  is  a  necessity  for  the  individual  and 
the  race.  Every  man  must  have  a  conscious  determination  to 
help  in  his  own  place  to  work  out  a  righteous  social  order  for 
and  with  God.  The  race  must  increasingly  turn  its  own 
evolution  into  a  conscious  process.  It  owes  that  duty  to  itself 
and  to  God  who  seeks  an  habitation  in  it.  It  must  seek  to 
realize  its  divine  destiny.  "Thy  kingdom  come!  Thy  will 
be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  done  in  heaven !"  This  is  the 
conscious  evolutionary  program  of  Jesus.  It  combines  religion, 
social  science,  and  ethical  action  in  a  perfect  synthesis. 

What  has  this  to  say  to  students?     Everything,  it  seems. 

First,  whatever  is  to  be  our  particular  job,  we  must  relate 
it  to  the  supreme  common  task  at  which  God  and  all  good 
men  are  working.  Unless  we  see  and  assert  that  relation, 
we  are  mere  day-laborers  or  slaves,  with  neither  intelligence 
nor  enthusiasm. 

Second,  anyone  who,  instead  of  loyally  relating  his  life- 
work  to  God's  work,  pursues  his  own  ambition  at  the  expense 
of  the  Kingdom  and  damages  it  to  make  profit  for  himself, 
is  like  a  man  who  takes  pay  to  damage  his  country.     He 

76 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD:  ITS  TASKS      [V-s] 

makes  the  work  harder  for  all  who  are  more  faithful  than 
he,  and  their  blood  will  be  upon  him. 

Third,  "noblesse  oblige."  If  we  belong  to  the  republic  of 
learning  and  education,  something  extra  is  justly  due  from 
us.  Here,  for  instance,  is  the  evangelization  of  the  world  in 
this  generation.  An  organization  has  been  created  to  accom- 
plish it.  Heroic  pioneers  have  died,  preparing  the  way  for 
larger  forces.  Is  our  life  fit  and  good  enough  to  put  into 
that?  Here  is  the  Christianization  of  the  social  order  in  the 
next  two  generations.  What  have  all  our  social  studies  been 
for  in  the  design  of  God?  To  fit  ourselves  for  exploiting  our 
fellows  or  to  show  them  the  way  to  the  Kingdom  of  God? 

Suggestions  for  Thought  and  Discussion 

I.  Our  Untapped  Reserves 

1.  How  far  is  a  person  who  produces  nothing,  of  use 
to  the  community?  Is  increase  of  productive  efficiency  the 
test  of  progress? 

2.  Does  religion  help  to  call  out  reserves  of  energy  in 
human  nature? 

II.  The  Energy  of  Jesus 

1.  How  far  did  Jesus  give  evidence  of  audacity  and  high 
power  energy?  Has  the  Christian  Church  realized  this? 
How  about  the  portrayals  of  him  in  art? 

2.  Furnish  evidence  that  Jesus  demanded  sincere  work. 
How  was  this  connected  with  the  Kingdom  of  God  in  his 
mind? 

3.  Give  proof  that  he  demanded  heroism  of  his  followers 
as  a  commonplace  thing. 

4.  How  did  this  temper  affect  his  view  of  prayer? 

III.  Christianity  and  Work 

I.  Has  Christianity  ever  promoted  idleness?  If  so, 
what  type  of  Christianity  was  it? 

77 


[V-s]       THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

2.  Taken  as  a  whole  has  Christianity  increased  the 
amount  of  work  done,  or  lessened  it?    Give  historical  proof. 

3.  Would  it  raise  the  economic  efficiency  of  an  African 
tribe  to  become  Christians?  Would  it  raise  the  efficiency 
of  the  Mexican  people  if  they  adopted  a  purer  type  of 
Christianity?     How? 

4.  Where  is  the  idler's  place  in  the  Kingdom  of  God? 

IV.  The   Reenforcement   of   Christianity   by   the   Kingdom 
Ideal 

1.  Is  a  call  to  be  converted  a  call  to  enjoy  spiritual  peace 
or  to  exert  spiritual  energy? 

2.  How  has  the  idea  arisen  that  Christianity  is  a  "dope" 
to  make  people  contented  amid  wrong  conditions? 

3.  How  would  the  Kingdom  faith  give  religious  quality 
to  the  plain  man's  job? 

4.  Other  things  being  equal,  has  a  religious  man  more 
or  less  fighting  energy  against  wrong  than  a  non-religious 
man? 

5.  If  a  man  passes  from  an  individualistic  to  a  social 
conception  of  religion,  what  change  will  it  make  in  moral 
action? 

6.  To  what  extent  is  the  enterprise  of  the  Kingdom  of 
God  a  dynamic  expression  of  accepted  sociological  prin- 
ciples ? 

7.  What  is  the  special  obligation  of  college  men  and 
women  to  the  Kingdom  of  God? 

V.  For  Special  Discussion 

1.  Is  the  Kingdom  of  God  to  be  brought  about  by  an 
act  of  God  in  the  future  or  by  the  work  of  men  in  the 
present?     Does  the  one  exclude  the  other? 

2.  Does  our  social  order  call  out  the  full  energy  and 
intelligence  of  the  working  people? 

3.  Can  an  overworked  and  underpaid  workman  feel  that 
he  is  working  for  the  Kingdom  of  God? 

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THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD:  ITS  TASKS       [V-s] 

4.  Does  the  Kingdom  of  God  necessarily  involve  ele- 
ments of  social  readjustment  and  change? 

5.  Would  a  predatory  governing  class  in  the  past  have 
allowed  the  preaching  of  a  social  conception  of  the  King- 
dom of  God? 


79 


CHAPTER  VI 

A  NEW  AGE  AND  NEW  STANDARDS 

As  the  Kingdom  Comes  Ethical  Standards  Must 
Advance 

Every  approximation  to  the  Reign  of  God  in  humanity 
demands  an  advance  in  the  social  relations  of  men,  that  is, 
an  advance  in  efthics.  Every  really  epochal  advance  rriiist 
have  it  or  slip  back.  There  must  be,  first,  better  obedience 
to  the  moral  principles  already  recognized  and  accepted  by 
society;  second,  an  expansion  of  the  sway  of  ethical  duty 
to  new  fields  and  wider  groups  of  humanity;  and  third,  a 
recognition  of  new  duties  and  the  assimilation  of  new  and 
higher  ethical  conceptions. 

To  what  extent  did  Jesus  appreciate  these  supreme  needs? 

Daily  Readings 
First  Day  :  Living  up  to  the  Old  Standards 

In  the  high-priesthood  of  Annas  and  Caiaphas,  the 
word  of  God  came  unto  John  the  son  of  Zacharias 
in  the  wilderness.  And  he  came  into  all  the  region 
round  about  the  Jordan,  preaching  the  baptism  of 
repentance  unto  remission  of  sins;  as  it  is  written 
in  the  book  of  the  words  of  Isaiah  the  prophet, 

The  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness. 

Make  ye  ready  the  way  of  the  Lord, 

Make  his   paths   straight. 

Every  valley  shall  be  filled, 

And  every  mountain  and  hill  shall  be  brought  low; 

And  the  crooked  shall  become  straight. 

And  the  rough  ways  smooth; 

And  all  flesh  shall  see  the  salvation  of  God. 


A  NEW  AGE  AND  NEW  STANDARDS    [VI-2] 

He  said  therefore  to  the  multitudes  that  went  out 
to  be  baptized  of  him,  Ye  offspring  of  vipers,  who 
warned  you  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come?  Bring 
forth  therefore  fruits  worthy  of  repentance,  and 
begin  not  to  say  within  yourselves,  We  have  Abraham 
to  our  father :  for  I  say  unto  you,  that  God  is  able 
of  these  stones  to  raise  up  children  unto  Abraham. 
And  even  now  the  axe  also  lieth  at  the  root  of  the 
trees :  every  tree  therefore  that  bringeth  not  forth 
good  fruit  is  hewn  down,  and  cast  into  the  fire.'" 
— Luke  3  :  2-9. 

The  ABC  of  social  renewal  and  moral  advance  is  for 
each  of  us  to  face  our  sins  sincerely  and  get  on  a  basis  of 
frankness  with  God  and  ourselves.  Therefore  Christianity 
set  out  with  a  call  for  personal  repentance.  If  we  only 
acted  up  to  what  we  know  to  be  right,  this  world  would  be 
a  different  place.  But  we  fool  ourselves  with  protective 
coloring  devices  in  order  to  keep  our  own  self-respect.  Take 
our  language,  for  instance;  it  reeks  with  evasive  euphem- 
isms intended  to  make  nasty  sins  look  prettier.  We  call 
stealing  "swiping"  and  cheating  "cribbing."  When  we  have 
been  drunk  we  say  we  were  "squiffy."  As  soon  as  we  face 
the  facts,  we  realize  that  what  we  call  peccadilloes  in  our- 
selves are  the  black  sins  that  have  slain  the  innocents  and 
have  hag  ridden  humanity  through  all  its  history.  That  is 
the  beginning  of  social  vision.  Personal  repentance  is  a 
social  advance. 

What  equivalent  have  college  men  and  women  for  the 
plea  of  the  Pharisees  that  they  were  Abraham's  children 
and  had  a  pull  with  God? 

Second  Day  :   Expanding   the  Area   of  Obligation 

And  behold,  a  certain  lawyer  stood  up  and  made 
trial  of  him,  saying,  Teacher,  what  shall  I  do  to 
inherit  eternal  life?  And  he  said  unto  him,  What  is 
written  in  the  law?  how  readest  thou?  And  he 
answering  said,  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God 
81 


[VI-2]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with 
all  thy  strength,  and  with  all  thy  mind ;  and  thy 
neighbor  as  thyself.  And  he  said  unto  him,  Thou 
hast  answered  right :  this  do,  and  thou  shalt  live. 
But  he,  desiring  to  justify  himself,  said  unto  Jesus, 
And  who  is  my  neighbor?  Jesus  made  answer  and 
said,  A  certain  man  was  going  down  from  Jeru- 
salem to  Jericho ;  and  he  fell  among  robbers,  who 
both  stripped  him  and  beat  him,  and  departed,  leav- 
ing him  half  dead.  And  by  chance  a  certain  priest  was 
going  down  that  way :  and  when  he  saw  him,  he 
passed  by  on  the  other  side.  And  in  like  manner 
a  Levite  also,  when  he  came  to  the  place,  and  saw 
him,  passed  by  on  the  other  side.  But  a  certain 
Samaritan,  as  he  journeyed,  came  where  he  was: 
and  when  he  saw  him,  he  was  moved  with  com- 
passion, and  came  to  him,  and  bound  up  his  wounds, 
pouring-  on  them  oil  and  wine ;  and  he  set  him  on 
his  own  beast,  and  brought  him  to  an  inn,  and  took 
care  of  him.  And  on  the  morrow  he  took  out  two 
shillings,  and  gave  them  to  the  host,  and  said.  Take 
care  of  him;  and  whatsoever  thou  spendest  more,  I, 
when  I  come  back  again,  will  repay  thee.  Which  of 
these  three,  thinkest  thou,  proved  neighbor  unto  him 
that  fell  among  the  robbers?  And  he  said,  He  that 
showed  mercy  on  him.  And  Jesus  said  unto  him, 
Go,  and  do  thou  likewise. — Luke  lo :  25-37. 

A  meaty  story  and  a  famous  one.  The  lawyer  found  his 
own  answer  uncomfortably  simple  when  it  was  taken  up 
in  such  a  matter-of-faot  way.  It  was  suddenly  up  to  him 
to  act  on  his  own  advice.  He  tried  to  hedge  by  raising  a 
new  question:  "Love  my  neighbor?  Certainly.  But  who  is 
my  neighbor?"  Who  is  within  the  cordon  of  fraternal 
fellowship  with  me?  All  men  of  my  people  and  religion? 
Or  only  the  good  and  desirable  people?  Where  do  you 
draw  the  line?  Follows  the  story  of  the  Good  Samaritan. 
"Your  neighbor?  The  alien  and  the  heretic."  The  logic 
of  the  reply  demanded  that  some  good  Jew  would  be  shown 
caring  for  a  wounded  Samaritan.    Jesus  gives  it  a  smashing 

82 


A  NEW  AGE  AND  NEW  STANDARDS     [VI-3] 

effectiveness  by  reversing  the  role  and  showing  the  hated 
Samaritan  as  the  heroic  lover  of  his  kind.  To  get  the 
situation  we  must  remember  the  historic  enmity  between  the 
Jews  and  the  half-breed  aliens  who  had  stolen  their  land  and 
their  religion  while  they  were  exiled.  If  we  substitute 
Spaniard  and  Moor,  Kurd  and  Armenian,  Serb  and  Bulgar, 
we  may  get  the  tension. 

Who  are  our  American  Samaritans? 

Third  Day  :  Raising  the  Standards 

We  must  live  up  to  what  we  know  is  right,  and  we  must 
expand  the  area  of  ethical  obligation  to  take  in  even  men  of 
alien  race  and  hostile  religion.  But  beyond  that,  we  need 
a  conscious  advance  in  the  ethical  standards  themselves. 
Jesus  worked  out  this  principle  with  perfect  clearness  in  a 
part  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  Matthew  5 :  17-48.  He 
states  the  need,  and  then  shows  in  six  cases  how  such  an 
advance  would  work  out.  We  shall  take  these  up  in  their 
order.  Matthew  has  introduced  scattered  sayings  of  Jesus 
which  serve  as  corollaries,  but  which  do  not  bear  directly 
on  the  real  course  of  the  argument;  for  instance,  Matthew 
5 :  23-26 ;  29-30.  In  our  quotations  in  this  and  the  following 
days  we  shall  confine  ourselves  to  the  main  line  of  thought  in 
order  to  concentrate  attention  on  that. 

Think  not  that  I  came  to  destroy  the  law  or  the 
prophets :  I  came  not  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfil.  .  .  . 
For  I  say  unto  you,  that  except  your  righteousness 
shall  exceed  the  righteousness  of  the  scribes  and 
Pharisees,  ye  shall  in  no  wise  enter  into  the  kingdom 
of  heaven. — Matt.  5 :   17,  20. 

Apparently  conservative  Jews  soon  felt  the  spiritual  freedom 
and  force  in  the  teachings  of  Jesus.  He  seemed  to  them  to 
be  attacking  the  sacred  Law,  the  foundation  of  morality  and 
religion.  Jesus  mentions  the  charge  but  denies  it.  His  pur- 
pose was  not  destructive  but  constructive.    He  demanded  not 

83 


•[VI-4]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

less  righteousness  but  more.  The  lines  of  right  living  needed 
to  be  prolonged.  The  traditional  standards  were  no  longer 
adequate.  A  man  might  obey  them  and  yet  not  be  a  good 
man.  The  scribes  and  Pharisees  were  the  model  church 
members  of  Judaism  and  experts  in  piety,  yet  they  were 
not  qualified  to  enter  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

Are  we  also  good  people  who  are  not  good  enough? 

Fourth  Day:  The  Sins  of  Hate 

Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said  to  them  of  old 
time,  Thou  shalt  not  kill;  and  whosoever  shall  kill 
shall  be  in  danger  of  the  judgment:  but  I  say  unto 
you,  that  every  one  who  is  angry  with  his  brother 
shall  be  in  danger  of  the  judgment;  and  whosoever 
shall  say  to  his  brother,  Raca,  shall  be  in  danger 
of  the  council;  and  whosoever  shall  say.  Thou  fool, 
shall  be  in  danger  of  the  hell  of  fire. — Matt.  5 :  21,  22. 

The  Law  of  Moses  forbade  murder;  a  man-slayer  was 
amenable  in  the  ordinary  court.  Was  this  an  adequate  ex- 
pression of  the  sacredness  of  human  life  and  personality? 
It  never  even  scratched  a  man  or  woman  who  assaulted  the 
soul  of  another  with  anger  and  curses.  Jesus  proposed  that 
these  sins  be  restandardized.  Plain  anger  ought  to  be  valued 
about  as  murder  used  to  be.  And  if  anybody  went  so  far 
as  to  revile  a  brother  and  deny  his  moral  or  intellectual 
worth,  the  Supreme  Court  and  Gehenna  would  be  about  right 
for  him.  The  lawyers'  gauge  of  culpability  can  not  get  down 
to  the  subtler  expressions  of  lovelessness  which  break  the 
prime  law  of  the  Kingdom. 

By  what  methods  is  contempt  expressed  in  our  own  social 
lifer 
How  highly  do  we  rate  the  moral  value  of  self-respect? 

Fifth  Day:  The  Sins  of  Sex 

Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said,  Thou  shalt  not 
84 


A  NEW  AGE  AND  NEW  STANDARDS     [VI-6] 

commit  adultery :  but  I  say  unto  you,  that  every  one 
that  looketh  on  a  woman  to  lust  after  her  hath  com- 
mitted adultery  with  her  already  in  his  heart.  .  .  . 
It  was  said  also,  Whosoever  shall  put  away  his 
wife,  let  him  give  here  a  writing  of  divorcement: 
but  I  say  unto  you,  that  every  one  that  putteth  away 
his  wife,  saving  for  the  cause  of  fornication,  maketh 
her  an  adulteress ;  and  whosoever  shall  marry  her 
when  she  is  put  away  committeth  adultery. — Matt. 
S:  27,  28;  31,  32. 

These  two  cases  deal  with  sex.  The  old  law  forbade 
adultery,  the  infringement  of  family  life,  and  stopped  there. 
Jesus  goes  back  of  the  act  to  the  lustful  imaginations  and 
the  wandering  eye,  which  may  lack  opportunity  but  which 
are  the  real  spring  of  all  uncleanness.  He  runs  the  line  of 
ethical  obligation   farther  back. 

The  law  of  divorce  (Deut.  24:  i),  especially  as  inter- 
preted by  the  scribes,  was  very  comfortable — for  the  male. 
He  could  divorce  his  wife  for  almost  any  cause.  Her  only 
protection  was  that  a  formal  paper  had  to  be  given  her 
which  enabled  her  to  marry  again.  As  a  woman's  economic 
and  social  standing  in  that  age  depended  almost  wholly  on 
her  family  relations,  she  was  at  the  mercy  of  the  man.  Jesus 
demanded  more  protection  for  her.  To  him  the  relation  was 
indissoluble.  The  Mosaic  provision  for  divorce  was  a  con- 
cession to  the  low  moral  level  of  the  people.  The  ideal  was 
the  "one  man,  one  woman"  provision  of  the  Creator.  (See 
Matt.  19:  3-8).  The  disciples  ruefully  remarked  that  such 
a  strengthening  of  the  bond  did  not  add  to  the  attractive- 
ness of  marriage — for  the  male    (19:   10). 

Where  do  we  draw  the  line  between  the  rightful,  natural 
desire  of  sex  and  lawless  predatory  lust? 

Sixth  Day:  The  Sins  of  Words 

Again,  ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said  to  them  of 
old  time,  Thou  shalt  not  forswear  thyself,  but  shalt 
8S 


IVI-7]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

perform  unto  the  Lord  thine  oaths :  but  I  say  unto 
you,  Swear  not  at  all;  neither  by  the  heaven,  for  it 
is  the  throne  of  God ;  nor  by  the  earth,  for  it  is  the 
footstool  of  his  feet;  nor  by  Jerusalem,  for  it  is  the 
city  of  the  great  King.  Neither  shalt  thou  swear  by 
thy  head,  for  thou  canst  not  make  one  hair  white  or 
black.  But  let  your  speech  be.  Yea,  yea;  Nay,  nay: 
and  whatsoever  is  more  than  these  is  of  the  evil  one. 
—Matt.  5:  33-37- 

Current  morality  had  reached  the  point  of  insisting  on 
truthfulness  when  a  man  was  under  oath.  Solemnly  to  call 
God  to  witness  a  statement  and  yet  to  fool  your  neighbor  by 
it,  was  downright  wicked.  But  it  was  very  handy.  So  they 
developed  a  joyful  lot  of  casuistical  distinctions  as  to  which 
kind  of  oaths  were  binding  and  which  didn't  count.  See  how 
Jesus  ridiculed  this  (Matt.  23:  16-22).  Here  he  proposed  that 
the  obligation  of  veracity  be  extended  to  all  statements.  A 
truthful  man  needs  no  oaths  to  assure  a  doubting  world  that 
this  time  he  is  really  telling  what  is  so.  Oaths  are  a  device 
of  the  devil  to  limit  the  amount  of  truth  in  the  world. 

How  about  oaths  for  legal  purposes?  Could  they  be  dis- 
pensed with?     Have  they  done  more  good  or  harm? 

Seventh  Day:  The  Sins  of  Strife 

Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said.  An  eye  for  an  eye, 
and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth :  but  I  say  unto  you,  Resist 
not  him  that  is  evil :  but  whosoever  smiteth  thee  on 
thy  right  cheek,  turn  to  him  the  other  also.  And  if 
any  man  would  go  to  law  with  thee,  and  take  away 
thy  coat,  let  him  have  thy  cloak  also.  And  whoso- 
ever shall  compel  thee  to  go  one  mile,  go  with  him 
two.  Give  to  him  that  asketh  thee,  and  from  him 
that  would  borrow  of  thee  turn  not  thou  away. 

Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said.  Thou  shalt  love 
thy  neighbor,  and  hate  thine  enemy :  but  I  say  unto 
you,  Love  your  enemies,  and  pray  for  them  that  per- 
secute you;  that  ye  may  be  sons  of  your  Father  who  • 
86 


A  NEW  AGE  AND  NEW  STANDARDS     [VI-s] 

is  in  heaven:  for  he  maketh  his  sun  to  rise  on  the 
evil  and  the  good,  and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and 
the  unjust.  For  if  ye  love  them  that  love  you,  what 
reward  have  ye?  do  not  even  the  publicans  the  same? 
And  if  ye  salute  your  brethren  only,  what  do  ye 
more  than  others?  do  not  even  the  Gentiles  the  same? 
Ye  therefore  shall  be  perfect,  as  your  heavenly  Father 
is  perfect.— Matt.  5:  38-48. 

The  Law  restricted  the  natural  desire  for  revenge  to  the 
limit  of  a  strict  equivalent.  If  a  man  knocked  out  your  tooth, 
you  could  knock  out  one  for  him,  but  not  two  teeth,  nor 
all  he  had.  Of  course  retaliation  never  heals  a  feud.  Jesus 
proposes  to  limit  revenge  still  farther  and  to  retaliate  only 
by  acts  of  kindness.  That  is,  in  fact,  the  only  way  to  end 
a  quarrel  completely  and  victoriously.  It  reestablishes  fellow- 
ship and  kills  an  enemy. 

The  Law  called  for  love  for  one's  neighbors ;  the  scribes 
had  added  the  permission  to  hate  one's  enemies.  Jesus  raises 
the  standards  of  good-will.  The  law  of  love  applies  to  all. 
There  is  nothing  great  in  loving  those  who  love  us.  Any- 
body can  do  that.  Heroic  love  begins  where  no  love  comes 
to  meet  it.  Those  who  can  win  that  itriumph  show  the  true 
family  likeness  of  God,  and  are  now  living  in  his  Kingdom. 

What  are  our  personal  experiences  as  to  the  utility  of 
revenge? 

What  is  the  difference  between  the  non-resistance  which 
Jesus  proposed,  and  cowardice? 

Is  there  such  a  thing  in  fact  as  loving  your  enemies? 

Study  for  the  Week 


The  Hebrew  religion  was  an  unfinished  religion.  That  is 
one  of  the  best  proofs  of  its  divine  inspiration.  The  prophets 
had  the  forward  look.  Great  things  were  yet  to  come.  As 
one  of  the  most  daring  expressed  it,  the  old  and  hallowed 

87 


[VI-s]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

covenant,  made  by  God  at  the  Exodus,  would  be  super- 
seded by  a  new  and  higher  relation;  God  would  write  his 
law  into  the  hearts  of  the  people;  the  old  drill  in  outward 
statutes  would  disappear,  for  all  men  would  know  God  by 
an  inward  experience  of  forgiveness  and  love  (Jeremiah  31 : 

31-34). 

Jesus  not  only  shared  this  expectation  of  a  new  religious 
era,  but  set  it  in  the  center  of  his  teaching.  Religion  to  him 
was  not  static.  He  lived  in  a  moving  world.  A  new  age 
was  coming,  and  he  would  be  the  initiator  of  it.  "From  the 
days  of  John  the  Baptist  until  now  the  kingdom  of  God  suf- 
fereth  violence,  and  men  of  violence  take  it  by  force."  John 
had  been  the  greatest  of  the  prophets ;  with  him  a  new  swift 
movement  had  begun;  but  something  far  greater  was  com- 
ing; even  the  least  in  the  new  age  would  have  an  advantage 
over  John   (Matt.  11:  11-19). 

The  popular  conception  expected  the  new  age  to  come  by 
divine  miraculous  interference  simply.  The  Messiah  would 
descend  from  heaven  with  angelic  legions,  expel  the  Romans, 
judge  the  nation,  punish  the  apostate  Jews,  and  then  the 
new  Jerusalem,  which  was  already  complete  and  waiting  in 
heaven,  would  descend  from  above.  That  was  the  Utopia 
of  Jewish  apocalypticism.  Jesus  never  eliminated  the  direct 
acts  of  God  and  the  significance  of  divine  catastrophes  from 
his  outlook.  But  in  his  parables  taken  from  biological  proc- 
esses (see  especially  Matthew  13)  he  developed  a  concep- 
tion of  continuous  and  quiet  growth,  culminating  at  last  in 
the  judgment  act  of  God.  The  Kingdom  of  God,  he  said, 
is  like  a  farmer  who  sows  his  grain  and  lets  the  forces  of 
nature  work;  he  goes  about  his  daily  tasks,  and  all  the  time 
the  tiny  blades  come  up,  the  ear  forms  and  gets  heavy,  and 
then  comes  the  harvest  (Mark  4:  26-29).  Jesus  was  work- 
ing his  way  toward  evolutionary  conceptions.  They  were  so 
new  to  his  followers  that  he  put  them  in  parable  form  to 
avoid  antagonism. 

Such  a  conception  of  the  Kingdom  brought  it  closer  to 
human  action.    It  was  already  at  work;  it  was  in  one  sense 

88 


A  NEW  AGE  AND  NEW  STANDARDS     [VI-s] 

already  present  (Luke  17:  20-21).  It  was  possible  then  to 
help  it  along. 

The  most  obvious  duty  was  for  every  man  to  clean  up  his 
own  backyard  and  repent  of  his  sins.  Every  one  should  ap- 
proximate the  life  of  the  Kingdom  by  living  now  as  he  would 
expect  to  live  then.^  But,  as  we  have  seen  from  his  say- 
ings, Jesus  went  far  beyond  this.  He  demanded  an  eleva- 
tion of  the  accepted  ethical  standards.  It  was  not  simply  a 
matter  of  erring  and  lagging  individuals,  but  of  the  socialized 
norms  of  conduct.  He  had  deep  reverence  and  loyalty  for 
the  religion  of  his  nation,  and  never  told  his  followers  to 
break  with  it.  But  he  asserted  boldly  that  the  customary 
ethics  of  Judaism,  based  on  the  Decalogue  and  its  interpreta- 
tion by  the  Jewish  theologians,  was  not  good  enough.  It  was 
good  as  far  as  it  went,  and  he  had  no  destructive  criticism 
of  it,  but  it  needed  to  be  "fulfilled"  and  to  have  its  lines  pro- 
longed. 

We  have  studied  the  six  sample  instances  which  he  offered 
in  order  to  explain  his  principle  of  moral  and  social  pro- 
gress. In  each  case  he  accepts  the  law  as  it  stood,  but  asks 
for  more  of  the  same  thing,  more  respect  for  personality, 
more  reverence  for  womanhood,  more  stability  for  the  home, 
more  truthfulness,  more  peacefulness,  more  love.  Thus  he 
combined  continuity  with  progress,  conservatism  with 
radicalism. 

II 

The  platform  for  ethical  progress  laid  down  in  the  Sermon 
on  the  Mount  is  a  great  platform.  When  Tolstoi  first  realized 
the  social  significance  of  these  simple  sentences,  it  acted  as  a 
revelation  which  changed  his  life.  Even  men  who  reject  the 
supernatural  claims  of  Christianity  uncover  before  the  Ser- 
mon on  the  Mount.  Yet  its  fate  is  tragic.  It  has  not  been 
"damned  with  faint  praise,"  but  made  ineffective  by  univer- 
sal praise.  Its  commandments  are  lifted  so  high  that  nobody 
feels  under  obligations  to  act  on  them.     Only  small  sections 


[VI-s]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

of  the  Christian  Church  have  taken  the  sayings  on  oaths,  non- 
resistance,  and  love  of  enemies  to  mean  what  they  say  and 
to  be  obligatory.  Yet  all  feel  that  the  line  of  ethical  and 
social  advance  must  lie  in  the  direction  traced  by  Jesus,  and 
if  society  could  only  climb  out  of  the  present  pit  of  predatory 
selfishness  and  meanness  "to  that  level,  it  would  be  heaven. 

Do  you  and  I  believe  in  it?  Do  we  believe  that  it  is  not 
enough  to  keep  out  of  the  spiritual  hell  and  damnation  of 
adultery,  but  that  a  clean  mind  would  be  the  most  efficient 
and  cheerful  mind?  Do  we  believe  that  a  man  who  forgives 
and  keeps  sweet  is  happier  and  safer  than  a  man  who  always 
resents  things  and  stirs  the  witches'  caldron  of  hate  in  his 
soul?  If  a  man  loved  his  enemy  and  turned  the  other  cheek, 
would  he  be  everybody's  door-mat  or  everybody's  temple  of 
refuge? 

Suppose  we  mark  for  the  present  those  parts  which  we  are 
willing  to  accept  as  our  own  standards  of  action.  If  there 
are  portions  which  do  not  seem  practicable,  let  us  post  them 
in  our  minds  as  debatable  propositions,  as  points  to  be  tested 
by  the  experience  of  coming  years,  or  as  working  hypotheses 
in  the  science  of  living. 

But  whatever  we  may  -think  of  single  points,  let  us  stick 
to  the  leading  thought  of  Jesus,  that  every  advance  toward 
the  Kingdom  of  God,  that  is,  toward  the  true  social  order, 
involves  a  raising  of  the  ethical  standards  accepted  by  society. 
This  is  a  principle  of  social  progress  which  every  leading 
intellect  ought  tc  know  by  heart. 

Ill 

When  Jesus  offered  his  six  sample  cases  of  ethical  prog- 
ress, he  had  no  intention  of  exhausting  the  principle  of  ad- 
vance which  he  laid  down.  There  was  more  to  say  about 
the  Jewish  law.  It  is  now  for  his  followers  to  treat  the  in- 
herited ethical  conceptions  of  traditional  Christianity  with  the 
same  combination  of  reverence  and  courage  with  which  he 
treated  the  Jewish  law. 

90 


A  NEW  AGE  AND  NEW  STANDARDS     [VI-s] 

From  the  beginning  Christianity  taught  self-control  and  the 
mastery  of  the  spirit  over  physical  desires.  It  always  con- 
demned drunkenness.  But  ancient  Christianity  never  de- 
manded abstinence  from  fermented  drink.  With  modern 
methods  of  manufacturing  alcoholic  drinks  and  modern  capi- 
talistic methods  of  pushing  their  sale,  the  danger  has  be- 
come more  pressing.  With  modern  scientific  knovi^ledge  the 
physiological  and  social  problems  of  drink  have  become 
clearer.  Modern  life  demands  an  undrugged  nervous  sys- 
tem for  quick  and  steady  reactions.  It  was  said  of  old  time, 
"Thou  shalt  not  get  drunk";  but  today  the  spirit  of  Chris- 
tianity and  modern  life  says,  "Thou  shalt  not  drink  nor  sell 
intoxicants  at  all." 

In  every  case  in  which  the  interests  of  woman  came  before 
Jesus,  he  took  her  side.  At  that  time  woman  was  the  sup- 
pressed half  of  humanity.  The  attitude  of  historic  Chris- 
tianity has  been  a  mixture  between  his  spirit  and  the  spirit 
of  the  patriarchal  family.  Today  Christianity  is  plainly  pro- 
longing the  line  of  respect  and  spiritual  valuation  to  the  point 
of  equality  between  men  and  women — and  beyond. 

From  the  beginning  an  emancipating  force  resided  in  Chris- 
tianity which  was  bound  to  register  its  effects  in  political  life. 
But  in  an  age  of  despotism  it  might  have  to  confine  its  poli- 
tical morality  to  the  duty  of  patient  submission,  and  content 
itself  with  offering  little  sanctuaries  of  freedom  to  the  op- 
pressed in  the  Christian  fraternities.  Today,  in  the  age  of 
democracy,  it  has  become  immoral  to  endure  private  owner- 
ship of  government.  It  is  no  longer  a  sufficient  righteous- 
ness to  live  a  good  life  in  private.  Christianity  needs  an 
ethic  of  public  life. 

It  was  said  of  old  "Thou  shalt  not  commit  murder."  It 
is  said  to  us,  "Ye  shall  not  wear  down  life  in  the  young  by 
premature  hard  labor;  nor  let  the  fear  of  poverty  freeze  the 
fountain  of  life;  and  ye  shall  put  a  stop  to  war." 

It  was  said  of  old,  "Thou  shalt  not  steal."  It  is  said  to  us, 
"Ye  shall  take  no  unearned  gain  from  your  fellows,  but  pay 
to  society  in  productive  labor  what  ye  take  from  it  in  goods." 

91 


[VI-s]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

IV 

This  matter  of  raising  the  moral  standards  of  society  is 
preeminently  an  affair  of  the  young.  They  must  do  it  or  it 
will  never  be  done.  The  Sermon  on  the  Mount  was  spoken 
by  a  young  man,  and  it  moves  with  the  impetuous  virility  of 
youth.  The  old  are  water-logged  physically.  They  are  men- 
tally bound  up  with  the  institutions  inside  of  which  they  have 
spent  a  lifetime,  and  they  want  to  enjoy  in  peace  the  wealth 
and  position  they  have  attained.  We  shall  be  just  the  same 
forty  years  from  now.  But  while  we  are  young  is  the  time 
to  make  a  forward  run  with  the  flag  of  Christ,  the  banner 
of  justice  and  love,  and  plant  it  on  the  heights  yonder.  We 
must  not  only  be  better  men  and  women  than  we  are  now. 
We  must  leave  a  better  world  behind  us  when  we  are  through 
with  it.  Whatever  we  affirm  in  our  growing  years  will  work 
out  in  some  fashion  in  our  years  of  maturity  and  power.  If 
fifty  thousand  college  men  and  women  a  year  would  range 
themselves  alongside  of  Jesus  Christ,  look  at  our  present 
world  as  open-eyed  as  he  looked  at  his  world,  see  where  the 
social  standards  of  conduct  are  in  contradiction  with  his  spirit 
and  with  modern  need,  and  work  to  raise  them,  the  world 
would  feci  the  effect  in  ten  years.  And  those  who  would 
strive  in  that  way  would  live  by  faith  in  the  higher  com- 
monwealth of  God  and  have  some  of  its  nobility  of  spirit. 

Suggestions  for  Thought  and  Discussion 

I.  Living  Up  to  the  Old  Standards 

1.  What  would  happen  if  a  college  community  began  to 
live  up  to  the  standards  of  work  and  honor  which  all 
acknowledge? 

2.  Does  human  nature  welcome  a  moral  advance? 

II.  The  Ethical  Program  of  Jesus 

I.    What  advance  does  Jesus'  program  make  necessary? 
State  the  main  principle  in  Matt,  s :  17-48,  and  the  six  appli- 
92 


A  NEW  AGE  AND  NEW  STANDARDS     [VI-s] 

cations   made  by  Jesus  himself.     How   was   this  principle 
connected  with  his  idea  of  the  Kingdom? 

2.  Can  we  agree  with  the  principle  ?  How  far  can  we 
go  with  Jesus  in  his  application? 

3.  Would  a  man  get  more  or  less  satisfaction  out  of 
life  if  he  obeyed  these  maxims  in  private  life? 

4.  How  far  could  a  man  hold  his  own  if  he  obeyed  them 
in  a  reasonable  way  in  business  or  in  public  life?  If  a 
man  loved  his  enemies  and  turned  the  other  cheek,  would 
he  be  everybody's  doormat  or  everybody's  friend  and 
refuge? 

in.    Raising  the  Standards  Today 

1.  On  what  ethical  questions  have  we  come  to  the  point 
where  the  moral  standards  accepted  by  society  can  be  and 
must  be  raised? 

2.  If  you  could  purchase  one  single  advance  by  your 
life,  what  would  you  choose? 

3.  How  does  an  expansion  of  the  area  of  full  social 
obligation  operate  to  raise  the  standards  of  conduct? 
Who  is  my  neighbor,  and  who  is  not? 

IV.    For  Special  Discussion 

1.  A  new  intellectual  age  has  opened  with  the  rise  of 
modern  science;  what  new  moral  standards  should  be  the 
result  of  our  new  knowledge? 

2.  A  new  economic  age  opened  with  the  invention  of 
power  machinery  and  the  social  organization  of  labor; 
what  new  moral  standards  should  have  been  the  result  of 
the  new  wealth  of  civilization? 

3.  A  new  political  era  opened  with  the  rise  of  democ- 
racy; what  new  moral  standards  should  be  achieved  in  the 
life  of  States  and  cities? 

4.  A  new  era  began  in  world-wide  relations  with  the 
beginning  of  steam-carried  commerce ;  what  new  standards 
are  needed  for  international  and  inter-racial  relations? 

93 


PART  III 
THE    RECALCITRANT   SOCIAL  FORCES 


CHAPTER  VII 

LEADERSHIP  FOR  SERVICE 

Ambition  Must  Get  Its  Satisfaction  by  Serving 
Humanity 

The  Kingdom  of  God  was  an  ideal.  If  it  was  to  be  turned 
into  concrete  realities,  it  would  encounter  the  recalcitrant 
and  stubborn  instincts  of  human  nature  and  the  conservative 
forces  of  society.  Where  did  Jesus  locate  the  obstacles? 
At  what  points  was  he  aware  of  resistance?  Did  he  realize 
the  force  of  ambition  and  the  love  of  power?  Did  he  gauge 
the  pull  of  the  property  instinct?  Did  he  feel  religion  as  a 
help  or  a  hindrance  in  realizing  the  Kingdom  of  God?  These 
questions  we  shall  follow  up  in  three  lessons. 

Daily  Readings 

First  Day:  The  Trustee 

And  Peter  said,  Lord,  speakest  thou  this  parable 
unto  us,  or  even  unto  all?  And  the  Lord  said,  Who 
then  is  the  faithful  and  wise  steward,  whom  his 
lord  shall  set  over  his  household,  to  give  them  their 
portion  of  food  in  due  season?  Blessed  is  that  ser- 
vant, whom  his  lord  when  he  cometh  shall  find  so 
doing.  Of  a  truth  I  say  unto  you,  that  he  will  set 
him  over  all  that  he  hath.  But  if  that  servant  shall 
say  in  his  heart,  My  lord  delayeth  his  coming;  and 
shall  begin  to  beat  the  menservants  and  the  maid- 
servants, and  to  eat  and  drink,  and  to  be  drunken; 
the  lord  of  that  servant  shall  come  in  a  day  when 
he  expecteth  not,  and  in  an  hour  when  he  knoweth 
not,  and  shall  cut  him  asunder,  and  appoint  his  por- 

97 


[VII-2]   THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

tion  with  the  unfaithful.  And  that  servant,  who  knew 
his  lord's  will,  and  made  not  ready,  nor  did  accord- 
ing to  his  will,  shall  be  beaten  with  many  stripes; 
but  he  that  knew  not,  and  did  things  worthy  of 
stripes,  shall  be  beaten  with  few  stripes.  And  to 
whomsoever  much  is  given,  of  him  shall  much  be 
required :  and  to  whom  they  commit  much,  of  him 
will  they  ask  the  more. — Luke  12:  41-48. 

The  preceding  verses  (v.  35-40)  dealt  with  the  faithfulness 
of  the  rank  and  file;  this  parable  deals  with  the  respon- 
sibility of  official  position  and  sketches  the  alternative  of 
selfish  and  serviceable  leadership.  The  head  steward  had 
charge  of  a  great  estate,  directing  the  labor  of  workmen 
and  maids,  dealing  out  supplies,  and  controlling  the  welfare 
and  happiness  of  all.  The  absence  of  the  master  made  his 
authority  for  the  time  absolute.  Would  he  use  it  for  the 
good  of  all?  If  so,  wider  scope  and  higher  honor  would 
come  to  him.  Or  would  he  become  intoxicated  with  power, 
take  things  easy,  boss  his  fellow-servants  around,  and  be- 
come a  petty  tyrant?  If  so,  he  would  get  what  was  coming  to 
him.  Every  man's  duty  is  measured  by  his  knowledge  and 
by  his  power.  If,  therefore,  a  man  rises  to  leadership,  and 
finds  his  elbow-room  enlarging,  let  him  stiffen  his  sense  of 
duty  to  correspond,  or  there  will  be  trouble.  Degeneration 
by  power  is  written  all  over  history. 

The  functions  of  a  head  steward  belong  to  the  age  of  great 
landowners.  How  would  you  modernize  this  parable  to  ex- 
press the  same  ideas? 

Second  Day:  Preparing  for  the  Use  of  Power 

Then  was  Jesus  led  up  of  the  Spirit  into  the  wilder- 
ness to  be  tempted  of  the  devil.  And  when  he  had 
fasted  forty  days  and  forty  nights,  he  afterward 
hungered.  And  the  tempter  came  and  said  unto  him, 
If  thou  art  the  Son  of  God,  command  that  these 
stones  become  bread.  But  he  answered  and  said,  It 
98 


LEADERSHIP  FOR  SERVICE  [VII-2] 

is  written,  Man  shall  not  live  by  bread  alone,  but 
by  every  word  that  proceedeth  out  of  the  mouth  of 
God.  Then  the  devil  taketh  him  into  the  holy  city; 
and  he  set  him  on  the  pinnacle  of  the  temple,  and 
saith  unto  him,  If  thou  art  the  Son  of  God,  cast  thy- 
self down :   for  it  is  written, 

He  shall  give  his  angels  charge  concerning  thee: 
and, 

On  their  hands  they  shall  bear  thee  up, 

Lest  haply  thou  dash  thy  foot  against  a  stone. 

Jesus  said  unto  him,  Again  it  is  written.  Thou 
shalt  not  make  trial  of  the  Lord  thy  God.  Again, 
the  devil  taketh  him  unto  an  exceeding  high  moun- 
tain, and  showeth  him  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world, 
and  the  glory  of  them;  and  he  said  unto  him.  All 
these  things  will  I  give  thee,  if  thou  wilt  fall  down 
and  worship  me.  Then  saith  Jesus  unto  him,  Get 
thee  hence,  Satan :  for  it  is  written.  Thou  shalt  wor- 
ship the  Lord  thy  God,  and  him  only  shalt  thou 
serve. — Matt.  4:  i-io. 

The  baptism  of  Jesus  was  an  act  of  dedication  to  the  com- 
ing reign  of  God,  and  it  brought  him  a  deep  spiritual  ex- 
perience. He  came  out  of  it  with  the  sense  of  an  immediate 
mission,  of  being  called  to  a  supreme  leadership,  and  with 
the  consciousness  of  power  to  correspond  with  his  destiny^ 
At  once  he  confronted  the  question:  How  would  he  em- 
ploy his  Messianic  power?  By  what  means  would  he  obtain 
leadership  ?  In  the  desert  his  mind  was  concentrated  on  these 
problems.  This  story  displays  the  temptations  of  a  leader, 
and  sums  up  his  settlement  on  three  points:  first,  he  realized 
that  he  must  not  swerve  aside  for  personal  gratification,  but 
must  serve  the  will  of  God  only;  second,  he  must  not  debase 
his  power  by  playing  for  popularity  by  means  of  spectacular, 
miraculous  display;  third,  he  must  not  win  his  leadership  by 
methods  that  would  mortgage  him  to  the  prince  of  this  world, 
for  instance  by  the  use  of  force. 

How  would  these  points  apply  to  a  young  man  seeking 
political  office,  intellectual  eminence,  or  artistic  achievement? 

99 


[VII-3]   THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

Have  we  ever  had  a  time  of  religious  concentration  to  con- 
sider the  problems  of  our  future  leadership? 

Third  Day:  The  New  Principle  of  Leadership 

Then  came  to  him  the  mother  of  the  sons  of  Zeb- 
edee  with  her  sons,  worshipping  him,  and  asking  a 
certain  thing  of  him.  And  he  said  unto  her,  What 
wouldest  thou?  She  saith  unto  him,  Command  that 
these  my  two  sons  may  sit,  one  on  thy  right  hand, 
and  one  on  thy  left  hand,  in  thy  kingdom.  But  Jesus 
answered  and  said,  Ye  know  not  what  ye  ask.  Are 
ye  able  to  drink  the  cup  that  I  am  about  to  drink? 
They  say  unto  him.  We  are  able.  He  saith  unto  them, 
My  cup  indeed  ye  shall  drink :  but  to  sit  on  my  right 
hand,  and  on  my  left  hand,  is  not  mine  to  give ;  but 
it  is  for  them  for  whom  it  hath  been  prepared  of 
my  Father.  And  when  the  ten  heard  it,  they  were 
moved  with  indignation  concerning  the  two  brethren. 
But  Jesus  called  them  unto  him,  and  said,  Ye  know 
that  the  rulers  of  the  Gentiles  lord  it  over  them,  and 
their  great  ones  exercise  authority  over  them.  Not 
so  shall  it  be  among  you:  but  whosoever  would  be- 
come great  among  you  shall  be  your  minister;  and 
whosoever  would  be  first  among  you  shall  be  your 
servant :  even  as  the  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be 
ministered  unto,  but  to  minister,  and  to  give  his  life 
a  ransom  for  many. — Matt.  20:  20-28. 

This  passage  is  fundamental  for  our  subject.  It  is  the 
clearest  formulation  of  the  social  principle  involved  in  leader- 
ship. It  contrasts  two  opposite  types  of  leadership  through- 
out human  history.  Salome  and  her  sons  thought  Jesus  was 
going  to  Jerusalem  to  inaugurate  his  Kingdom.  They  asked 
for  an  advance  pledge  assuring  them  of  the  chief  place. 
Jesus  replied  that  that  place  would  not  go  by  favoritism. 
There  is  a  price  to  be  paid  for  leadership  in  his  reign,  and 
God  alone  will  allot  the  final  honors.  He  felt  in  their  re- 
quest a  relapse  into  conceptions  that  he  detested.  In  all  polit- 
ical organizations  he  saw  the  tyrannical  use  of  power  over 


4 


LEADERSHIP  FOR  SERVICE  [VII-4] 

the  people.  There  must  be  an  end  of  that  in  the  new  social 
order.  Ambition  must  seek  its  satisfaction  by  distinguished 
service,  and  only  extra-hazardous  service  shall  win  honor.  He 
himself  proposed  to  be  a  leader  of  that  new  type,  and  to  give 
his  life  as  a  ransom  for  the  emancipation  of  the  people. 

Our  Master  here  offers  each  of  us  the  conscious  choice 
between  two  principles  of  action.    Have  we  made  our  choice? 

He  offers  a  norm  for  estimating  the  real  value  of  men  in 
public  life.    Have  we  ever  tried  to  apply  it? 

Fourth  Day  :  The  History  of  a  Governing  Class 

Hear  another  parable :  There  was  a  man  that  was 
a  householder,  who  planted  a  vineyard,  and  set  a 
hedge  about  it,  and  digged  a  winepress  in  it,  and 
built  a  tower,  and  let  it  out  to  husbandmen,  and  went 
into  another  country.  And  when  the  season  of  the 
fruits  drew  near,  he  sent  his  servants  to  the  hus- 
bandmen, to  receive  his  fruits.  And  the  husband- 
men took  his  servants,  and  beat  one,  and  killed  an- 
other, and  stoned  another.  Again,  he  sent  other  ser- 
vants more  than  the  first :  and  they  did  unto  them  in 
like  manner.  But  afterward  he  sent  unto  them  his 
son,  saying.  They  will  reverence  my  son.  But  the 
husbandmen,  when  they  saw  the  son,  said  among 
themselves,  This  is  the  heir;  come,  let  us  kill  him, 
and  take  his  inheritance.  And  they  took  him,  and 
cast  him  forth  out  of  the  vineyard,  and  killed  him. 
When  therefore  the  lord  of  the  vineyard  shall  come, 
what  will  he  do  unto  those  husbandmen?  They  say 
unto  him,  He  will  miserably  destroy  those  miserable 
men,  and  will  let  out  the  vineyard  unto  other  hus- 
#  bandmen,  who  shall  render  him  the  fruits  in  their 
seasons.  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Did  ye  never  read 
in  the  scriptures. 

The  stone  which  the  builders  rejected, 

The  same  was  made  the  head  of  the  corner; 

This  was   from  the  Lord, 

And  it  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes?  Therefore  say 
I  unto  you,   The  kingdom  of   God   shall   be  taken 

lOI 


IVII-5]    THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

away  from  you,  and  shall  be  given  to  a  nation  bring- 
ing forth  the  fruits  thereof.  And  he  that  falleth  on 
this  stone  shall  be  broken  to  pieces :  but  on  whom- 
soever it  shall  fall,  it  will  scatter  him  as  dust.  And 
when  the  chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees  heard  his 
parables,  they  perceived  that  he  spake  of  them.  And 
when  they  sought  to  lay  hold  on  him,  they  feared 
the  multitudes,  because  they  took  him  for  a  prophet. 
— Matt.  21 :  33-46. 

A  delegation  of  the  chief  priests,  lawyers,  and  elders  chal- 
lenged the  authority  of  Jesus  to  act  as  he  did.  He  replied 
by  challenging  their  authority  to  act  as  they  did.  The  vine- 
yard parable  sums  up  his  view  of  the  moral  history  of  the 
governing  class  in  his  nation.  It  was  like  a  group  of  men 
who  had  rented  a  vineyard  on  shares,  but  took  advantage  of 
the  owner's  absence  to  embezzle  his  share,  insolently  to  beat 
up  his  representatives,  and  to  put  themselves  in  possession 
of  the  farm.  Every  demand  of  God  for  righteousness  in  the 
history  of  Israel  had  been  resisted  by  those  in  power.  What 
title,  then,  did  they  have  to  the  rights  they  claimed?  Unless 
they  fulfilled  the  function  of  true  leaders,  why  should  they 
not  be  put  out  of  power  and  brought  to  justice?  In  this 
passage,  then,  we  have  a  characterization  of  leaders  who  take 
the  profits  and  honors  of  leadership,  without  performing  its 
higher  duties  to  God  and  humanity. 

Is  there  any  connection  between  this  challenge  of  Jesus, 
and  the  functional  theories  of  society  and  the  evolutionary 
conception  of  history? 

Fifth  Day:  An  Indictment  of  a  Governing  Class 

Then  spake  Jesus  to  the  multitudes  and  to  his  dis- 
ciples, saying,  The  scribes  and  the  Pharisees  sit  on 
Moses'  seat :  all  things  therefore  whatsoever  they 
bid  you,  these  do  and  observe:  but  do  not  ye  after 
their  works;  for  they  say,  and  do  not.  Yea,  they 
bind  heavy  burdens  and  grievous  to  be  borne,  and 
lay  them  on  men's  shoulders;  but  they  themselves 
102 


LEADERSHIP  FOR  SERVICE  [VII-€1 

will  not  move  them  with  their  finger.  But  all  their 
works  they  do  to  be  seen  of  men:  for  they  make 
broad  their  phylacteries,  and  enlarge  the  borders  of 
their  garments,  and  love  the  chief  place  at  feasts, 
and  the  chief  seats  in  the  synagogues,  and  the  saluta- 
tions in  the  marketplaces,  and  to  be  called  of  men, 
Rabbi.  But  be  not  ye  called  Rabbi:  for  one  is  your 
teacher,  and  all  ye  are  brethren.  And  call  no  man 
your  father  on  the  earth :  for  one  is  your  Father, 
even  he  who  is  in  heaven.  Neither  be  ye  called  mas- 
ters :  for  one  is  your  master,  even  the  Christ.  But 
he  that  is  greatest  among  you  shall  be  your  servant. 
And  whosoever  shall  exalt  himself  shall  be  hum- 
bled ;  and  whosoever  shall  humble  himself  shall  be 
exalted. 

But  woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypo- 
crites I  because  ye  shut  the  kingdom  of  heaven  against 
men :  for  ye  enter  not  in  yourselves,  neither  suffer  ye 
them  that  are  entering  in  to  enter. — Matt.  23 :  1-13. 

The  invective  against  the  scribes  and  Pharisees  (Matt.  23) 
is  a  characterization  of  selfish  leadership  in  the  field  of  re- 
ligion. Its  fundamental  elements  have  remained  the  same 
in  all  religions  and  through  all  history:  fine  talk  and  little 
action;  religion  turned  into  a  law  and  a  burden,  in  order  to 
hold  the  people  in  obedience  to  the  interests  of  the  leaders; 
pride  and  ambition  exploiting  religion  to  get  honors.  Jesus 
tells  the  people  to  revolt  against  the  titles  in  which  this 
domination  had  found  decorative  satisfaction.  He  demands 
democracy,  humility,  brotherliness. 

Does  this  description  justly  apply  to  the  Christian  ministry 
today,  or  has  there  been  a  great  historical  change  by  which 
that  profession  has  become  a  profession  of  service? 

Where  in  modern  social  life  would  the  invective  of  Jesus 
against  selfish  leadership  still  be  true? 

Sixth  Day:  The  Lost  Leader 

And  in  these  days  Peter  stood  up  in  the  midst  of 
103 


[VII-6]    THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

the  brethren,  and  said  (and  there  was  a  multitude  of 
persons  gathered  together,  about  a  hundred  and 
twenty),  Brethren,  it  was  needful  that  the  scripture 
should  be  fulfilled,  which  the  Holy  Spirit  spake  be- 
fore by  the  mouth  of  David  concerning  Judas,  who 
was  guide  to  them  that  took  Jesus.  For  he  was  num- 
bered among  us,  and  received  his  portion  in  this 
ministry.  (Now  this  man  obtained  a  field  with  the 
reward  of  his  iniquity ;  and  falling  headlong,  he  burst 
asunder  in  the  midst,  and  all  his  bowels  gushed  out. 
And  it  became  known  to  all  the  dwellers  at  Jeru- 
salem ;  insomuch  that  in  their  language  that  field 
was  called  Akeldama,  that  is.  The  field  of  blood.) 
For  it  is  written  in  the  book  of  Psalms, 

Let  his  habitation  be  made  desolate, 

And  let  no  man  dwell  therein: 
and, 

His  office  let  another  take. — Acts  i :  1 5-20. 

The  character  and  motives  of  Judas  remain  an  unsolved 
riddle.  The  Gospels  leave  no  doubt  that  money  played  a  part 
with  him.  But  could  a  man  whom  Jesus  selected  and  trusted 
be  actuated  by  so  sordid  a  motive  alone?  Was  he  perhaps 
embittered  because  he  had  staked  his  ambition  on  the  Gali- 
lean Alessiah  and  Jesus  failed  to  act  the  part  assigned  to 
him?  Was  he  hoping  to  force  him  to  revolutionary  action? 
We  may  be  sure  that  Judas  was  no  slinking  thief  only.  In 
Rubens'  picture  of  the  Last  Supper  at  Milano  Judas  has  a 
strong  and  noble  face,  but  troubled  and  restless  eyes,  telling 
of  a  hurt  soul.  The  other  disciples  were  deeply  impressed 
by  his  betrayal  of  the  Master  and  of  the  common  cause. 
Judas  is  the  type  of  the  lost  leader.  "Just  for  a  handful  of 
silver  he  left  us,  just  for  a  ribbon  to  stick  in  his  coat."  Some 
leaders  blunder  and  learn  better;  some  sag  to  lower  levels 
but  plod  on;  some  sell  out.  Judas  could  not  bear  to  live. 
Read  James   Russell  Lowell's   "Extreme   Unction." 

Have  you  known  of  cases  today  of  men  who  have  aban- 
doned or  betrayed   a  cause  to  get  office   or   income?     Any 

104 


LEADERSHIP  FOR  SERVICE  [VII-7] 

who  abandon  humanity  itself  to  get  thirty  pieces  for  them- 
selves ? 


Seventh  Day  :  The  New  Order  of  Leaders 

And  Jesus  went  about  all  the  cities  and  the  vil- 
lages, teaching  in  their  synagogues,  and  preaching  the 
gospel  of  the  kingdom,  and  healing  all  manner  of 
disease  and  all  manner  of  sickness.  But  when  he 
saw  the  multitudes,  he  was  moved  with  compassion 
for  them,  because  they  were  distressed  and  scattered, 
as  sheep  not  having  a  shepherd.  Then  saith  he  unto 
his  disciples.  The  harvest  indeed  is  plenteous,  but 
the  laborers  are  few.  Pray  ye  therefore  the  Lord 
of  the  harvest,  that  he  send  forth  laborers  into  his 
harvest. 

And  he  called  unto  him  his  twelve  disciples,  and 
gave  them  authority  over  unclean  spirits,  to  cast  them 
out,  and  to  heal  all  manner  of  disease  and  all  man- 
ner of  sickness. 

Now  the  names  of  the  twelve  apostles  are  these: 
The  first,  Simon,  who  is  called  Peter,  and  Andrew 
his  brother ;  James  the  son  of  Zebedee,  and  John  his 
brother;  Philip,  and  Bartholomew;  Thomas,  and 
Matthew  the  publican ;  James  the  son  of  Alphseus, 
and  Thaddaeus ;  Simon  the  Canansean,  and  Judas 
Iscariot,  who  also  betrayed  him. — Matt.  9:  35-10:  4. 

We  have  studied  part  of  this  passage  before  as  an  ex- 
pression of  the  social  feeling  of  Jesus.  Note  now  that  it 
was  their  leaderless  condition  which  impressed  him.  Plenty 
of  priests,  lawyers,  and  experts  on  the  Bible,  but  no  friendly 
shepherds  for  the  people.  When  he  created  the  apostolate, 
he  initiated  a  new  order  of  leadership,  a  band  of  men  who 
would  serve  and  not  exploit.  Read  the  instructions  he  gave 
them  (Chap.  10),  and  see  how  carefully  he  fences  out  selfish 
gain.  Service  versus  exploitation,  that  is  one  of  the  tests 
of  all  who  claim  leadership  in  his  name.  We  realize  that  in 
the  field  of  religion.     But  why  should  not  the  same  test  be 

105 


[VII-s]    THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

made  in  professional,  political,  and  business  life?  Predatory 
action  may  not  be  as  glaringly  shameful  there,  but  is  it  dtxig 
the  more  moral? 

Now  what  about  you  and  mef 
Study  for  the  Week 


The  desire  to  lead  and  excel  is  natural  and  right.  Be- 
cause men  are  gregarious,  they  need  leadership  for  their 
social  groups,  and  social  progress  depends  largely  on  secur-. 
ing  adequate  leaders.  Those  who  have  the  natural  gifts  for 
leadership — and  also  those  who  merely  think  they  have^ 
usually  have  a  keen  desire  for  its  satisfactions.  College  life 
is  a  miniature  world  of  criss-cross  ambitions  and  of  con- 
trivances for  trying  out  leaders. 

Jesus  did  not  demand  self-effacement  and  the  suppression 
of  ability.  He  welcomed  evidences  of  noble  self-assertion. 
His  own  Messianic  call  was  a  summons  to  the  highest  leader- 
ship. His  temptations  were  the  settlement  of  leadership 
problems.  His  final  lament  over  the  city  of  Jerusalem  was 
a  burst  of  sorrow  because  he  had  failed  to  win  his  people 
to  follow  him. 

Now,  in  moving  about  among  men  to  win  them  for  the 
Kingdom,  Jesus  encountered  the  leaders  who  were  on  deck 
before  he  came — the  wealthy  men  who  controlled  the  eco- 
nomic outfit;  the  official  groups  who  held  what  political 
power  was  left  to  the  Jews;  and  the  lawyers,  theologians, 
priests,  and  zealots  who  dominated  the  religious  life  of  a  very 
religious  people.  These  classes  overlapped ;  together  they 
constituted  the  oligarchy  of  his  nation.  Both  sides  soon 
realized  that  there  were  fundamental  antagonisms  between 
them.  The  conflict  grew  acute,  until  it  headed  up  in  the 
great  duel  of  the  last  days  at  Jerusalem.  His  experiences 
in  this  conflict  with  hostile  leadership  are  recorded  in  the 
passages  which  we  have  studied  and  others  like  them. 

io6 


LEADERSHIP  FOR  SERVICE  [VII-s] 

II 

In  the  fundamental  reply  to  James  and  John  he  formulated 

his  observations  in  a  great  political  generalization :  "Ye 
know  that  the  rulers  of  the  nations  lord  it  over  them  and 
their  great  men  hold  dov^m  the  rest  by  force."  In  its  earlier 
and  cruder  forms,  the  State  is  a  contrivance  of  a  victorious 
group  to  hold  down  the  conquered,  and  exploit  them.  If 
anyone  has  not  yet  read  political  history  as  an  account  of 
systematic  exploitation  of  nation  by  nation  and  class  by  class, 
he  has  some  education  still  coming  to  him. 

Even  where  political  leadership  has  not  been  plainly  preda- 
fory  but  rested  on  real  service,  humanity  has  often  had  a 
heavy  price  to  pay  for  it.  Successful  military  leaders  were 
able  to  perpetuate  a  royal  dynasty  and  perhaps  fasten  a  race 
of  hereditary  incapables  on  a  nation,  to  be  maintained  in 
royal  splendor.  The  feudal  nobility  performed  useful  work 
in  the  earlier,  turbulent  times,  but  it  continued  to  take  rent 
and  tribute  for  centuries  after  its  useful  functions  had  lapsed. 
Modern  business  men  who  have  organized  public  service 
corporations  have  often  served  the  nation  well,  but  they  now 
own  the  highways  and  fundamental  outfit  of  the  nation,  and 
if  their  descendants  or  assignees  collect  tribute,  perhaps  on 
inflated  capitalization,  for  generations  to  come,  it  looks  like 
rather  costly  service.  The  obligations  of  power  have  a 
curious  way  of  getting  lost  in  the  shuffle  of  time,  but  titles, 
rank,  legal  privileges,  rent,  and  interest  are  carefully  groomed. 
If  one  man  loses  them,  some  other  man  nurses  them,  and 
the  people  always  pay. 

The  Kingdom  of  God  sets  a  fraternal  and  righteous  social 
order  against  the  predatory  and  unrighteous  order  which 
humanity  has  inherited  from  the  past.  The  new  order  must 
have  a  new  dynasty  of  leaders,  for  every  social  order  has  its 
own  kind  of  aristocracy.  Jesus  does  not  propose  to  abolish 
leadership,  but  he  proposes  a  new  basis  for  greatness  which 
is  sharply  opposed  to  the  old :  "Whoever  has  ambition  to  be 
a  great  man  among  you,  let  him  be  your  servant;  and  who- 

107 


[VII-s]    THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

ever  is  ambitious  to  rank  first  among  you,  let  him  be  your 
bondservant.  Just  as  the  Son  of  Man  did  not  come  to  have 
others  serve  him,  but  to  render  service  and  to  give  his  life 
as  a  ransom  for  many."  Ability  and  ambition  are  still  to 
lead,  but  they  are  to  be  yoked  to  the  service  of  all.  Not  he 
who  kills  and  subjugates,  but  he  who  makes  life  safe  and 
happy,  shall  have  the  statue  set  up  in  his  honor.  Not  the 
great  warrior  and  killer,  but  the  great  healer  and  the  man 
who  multiplies  the  blades  of  grass  and  the  ears  of  wheat 
and  the  size  of  potatoes  shall  be  the  great  names  treasured. 
The  higher  the  honor  craved,  the  more  strenuous  must  be  the 
service;  if  a  man  wants  first  prize,  he  must  get  down  to 
voluntary  slavery.  The  old  way  to  leadership  was  to  knock 
others  down  and  climb  up  on  them;  the  new  way  is  to  get 
underneath  and  boost. 

Ill 

Jesus  put  himself  under  this  law  of  leadership.  We  see 
from  his  words  that  the  cross  was  the  outcome  of  a  con- 
sistent principle  adopted  by  him.  The  rules  he  laid  down  for 
his  apostolate  were  meant  to  bar  out  selfish  acquisition  : 
"Freely  ye  received,  freely  give.  Get  you  no  gold,  nor  silver, 
nor  brass  in  your  purses;  no  wallet  for  your  journey,  neither 
two  coats,  nor  shoes,  nor  staff;  for  the  laborer  is  worthy  of 
his  food."  It  is  a  significant  fact  that  again  and  again  re- 
ligious leaders  who  really  cared  for  the  condition  of  the  peo- 
ple, have  tried  to  create  a  genuine  leadership  for  them  along 
the  same  lines;  Francis  of  Assisi  gathered  his  "little 
brothers" ;  Peter  Waldus  his  Bible  teachers ;  Wycliffe  his 
"poor  preachers" ;  John  Wesley  his  local  preachers  and  itine- 
rants; William  Booth  his  ensigns  and  captains  with  the  big 
bass  drum;  and  the  entire  foreign  mission  propaganda  calls 
for  leaders  who  will  go  to  the  people  and  offers  them  noth- 
ing but  enough  to  live  in  health.  Today  practically  the  entire 
Christian  ministry,  one  of  the  most  important  bodies  of  men, 
has  come  under  the  law  of  leadership  for  service.  It  was 
once,  at  least  in  its  upper-class  sections,  rich  with  unearned 

io8 


LEADERSHIP  FOR  SERVICE  [VII-s] 

incomes,  pervaded  by  graft,  and  domineering  in  spirit ;  it  is 
now  a  clean  and  plain-living  profession;  whatever  its  short- 
comings, graft  and  extortion  are  not  of  them. 

The  question  is  now,  whether  other  professions  will  go 
through  the  same  historical  process  of  cleansing.  The  re- 
ligious spirit  has  pioneering  qualities ;  under  its  impulse  men 
blaze  the  trail  which  broad  social  movements  or  historical 
developments  follow  later.  Greedy  leadership  first  seemed 
intolerable  in  the  Church;  after  a  time  it  may  become  in- 
tolerable in  politics  and  business.  The  trend  of  civilization 
is  toward  intelligent  service  on  plain  pay.  Educators,  judges, 
scientists,  doctors  are  on  that  basis  now.  It  has  become  dis- 
honorable for  them  to  use  their  positions  for  a  holdup.  The 
great  discoverers  in  the  line  of  sero-therapy  might  have  taken 
toll  in  golden  streams,  but  they  did  not.  It  would  have  been 
contrary  to  the  ethics  of  their  profession.  That  means  that 
their  profession  is  on  a  Christian  basis.  Where  graft  is  taken 
out  of  politics,  officials  become  devoted  public  servants.  The 
reproach  has  been  made  against  a  man  of  great  ability  that 
at  the  end  of  his  life  his  name  is  not  connected  with  any 
great;  cause  or  measure  for  the  welfare  of  the  people. 
Wliether  the  judgment  was  just  or  not,  that  point  of  view  is 
the  one  to  take. 

Can  business  be  brought  under  the  law  of  service?  Or  is 
commerce  constitutionally  incapable  of  it?  There  are  many 
indications  that  a  conscious  spiritual  change  is  coming  over 
those  men  in  business  who  have  enough  intellect  and  char- 
acter to  look  beyond  immediate  needs.  The  type  of  business 
leadership  which  took  millions  out  of  filthy  factory  towns, 
wore  out  women  and  took  the  youth  out  of  children,  cleared 
twelve  per  cent  from  slum  tenements,  kept  men  and  women 
from  marriage  by  underpayment,  and  kept  the  cradle  empty 
by  high  prices  and  fear  of  the  future — this  type  of  leader- 
ship is  antiquated.  It  belongs  to  a  pre-Christian  and  pagan 
age.  It  is  only  a  question  whether  business  leaders  will 
voluntarily  turn  their  back  on  such  misuse  of  power  or  have 
a  change  forced  on  them.    Those  who  mark  time  on  the  old 

109 


[VII-s]   THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

methods  will  become  moral  derelicts,  and  their  wealth  will 
not  forever  screen  their  moral  obtuseness. 

The  nation  needs  leaders  who  will  persuade  conservative 
farmers  to  use  scientific  methods;  who  will  teach  our  waste- 
ful people  the  value  of  self-restraint,  and  the  beauty  of  co- 
operative buying  and  selling;  who  will  teach  our  communi- 
ties that  it  is  a  sin  to  rob  our  own  children  by  leaving  soil, 
water,  and  forests  poorer  than  we  found  them;  who  will 
give  the  people  good  housing  without  taking  the  unearned 
increment;  who  will  organize  the  dangerous  industries  for 
safety;  who  will  place  the  relations  of  leaders  and  workers 
in  industry  on  a  basis  of  justice  and  goodwill  so  that  in- 
dustrial peace  can  be  attained.  Is  such  an  object  satisfying 
to  a  young  man  of  business  capacity,  or  does  he  want  to  build 
a  million  dollar  house  and  populate  it  with  one  child?  It  is 
confessed  that  civilization  has  been  succeeding  on  the  tech- 
nical side  and  failing  on  the  ethical.  The  more  the  machin- 
ery of  life  is  concentrated  in  the  hands  of  a  limited  group  of 
business  leaders,  the  more  important  does  the  social  en- 
lightenment and  moral  objective  of  these  leaders  become  to 
society.    To  which  of  the  two  types  do  we  belong? 

IV 

Will  a  life  of  service  satisfy  the  capable  and  call  out  their 
best  powers  for  the  service  of  humanity?  Men  will  play  the 
game  according  to  the  rules  of  the  game.  If  humanity  changes 
the  rules,  its  strong  men  will  still  let  out  their  energies,  be- 
cause they  can  not  help  it,  and  they  will  like  themselves  all 
the  better  for  being  on  the  side  of  their  fellow-men.  There 
is  no  pleasure  in  being  isolated,  eyed  with  resentment,  and 
conscious  of  hardness.  If  ten  per  cent  net  means  long  hours, 
low  wages,  and  repression,  and  if  six  per  cent  would  mean 
good  will  and  contentment,  it  might  pay  the  leaders  of  in- 
dustry to  take  less  in  dividends  and  take  it  out  in  the  higher 
satisfactions. 

For  men  of  great  ability  this  is  the  chance  for  enduring 
no 


LEADERSHIP  FOR  SERVICE  [VII-s] 

fame.  Who  will  remember  the  men  that  did  nothing  but 
amass  wealth?  Who  of  our  presidents  are  remembered  and 
loved?     Those  who  suffered  with  and  for  the  people. 

The  leadership  of  service  validates  its  rightness  by  its  in- 
tellectual results.  Predatory  and  parasitic  classes  become  in- 
tellectually sterile  and  ignorant  of  real  life.  A  man  who 
wants  to  serve  men,  must  get  close  to  them.  If  we  carry 
a  load  uphill,  we  have  to  choose  our  footing,  and  will  per- 
force become  intimately  acquainted  with  the  law  of  gravita- 
tion. Nothing  develops  the  intellect  like  heading  a  just  cause 
and  fighting  for  it. 

Here,  then,  we  have  another  social  principle  of  Jesus.  The 
ambition  of  the  strong  must  be  yoked  to  the  service  of 
society.  Power  and  honor  must  be  earned  by  distinguished 
and  costly  service.  Progress  along  this  direction  marks  the 
progress  of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  Extortionate  and 
domineering  leadership  must  be  superseded  where  the  King- 
dom of  God  moves  forward. 

V 

Does  the  life  of  our  colleges  and  universities  square  with 
this  principle?  College  men  and  women  crave  honor  from 
their  fellows,  or  their  fraternities  crave  it  for  them  vicari- 
ously. How  do  the  "big  men"  in  college  win  it?  Do  they 
win  it  by  raising  the  standards  of  intellectual  work  for  all? 
By  making  fun  clean  and  honorable  through  the  power  of  a 
clean  public  opinion?  By  creating  a  college  spirit  which  will 
put  manhood  into  every  generation  of  Freshmen  that 
plunges  into  it?  Or  do  they  win  honor  by  organizing  parties, 
by  intoxicating  themselves  and  others  with  frothy  "social" 
successes,  by  acting  for  the  gallery  to  see  and  applaud,  and 
by  wasting  the  dynamics  of  youth  on  shooting  rockets  that 
look  like  stars  and  come  down  like  sticks?  Such  men  are 
essentially  selfish;  even  their  service  is  self-seeking  and  de- 
serves no  honor  from  others.  The  more  talented  and  at- 
tractive they  are,  the  more  damage  do  they  do.     They  per- 

III 


[VII-s3    THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

petuate  their  kind.  If  fraternities  or  honorary  societies  honor 
and  reward  that  sort  of  leadership,  they  force  individuals 
into  futility,  and  reenforce  the  natural  temptation  to  shal- 
low work  and  display  by  the  powerful  pressure  of  socialized 
public  opinion. 

What  has  just  been  said  applies  to  the  inner  life  of  the 
college  group  during  its  brief  command  over  young  men  and 
women.  But  meanwhile  the  outside  life  is  waiting  for  them. 
Society  creates  and  finances  the  colleges  and  universities 
from  the  social  fund  created  by  those  who  work.  A  college 
man  who  toys  with  his  work  and  fights  those  who  want  to 
make  him  work,  ought  to  be  demoted  and  his  chance  given 
to  some  workingman  who  has  intellectual  hunger  and  would 
use  it.  But  even  of  the  able  and  efficient  college  men 
society  has  a  right  to  inquire  whether  it  is  training  enemies 
and  exploiters  or  friends  and  leaders.  This  question  will 
be  asked  more  and  more  insistently  by  democracy  as  it  be- 
comes intelligent.  Christianity  anticipates  this  inquiry  by  its 
appeal  to  the  individual  conscience.  Every  college  man  and 
woman  should  choose  the  principle  on  which  he  proposes  to 
exercise  leadership  in  case  he  wins  it.  Are  we  willing  to 
gain  wealth  by  impoverishing  others?  Are  we  willing  to  get 
pleasure  by  degrading  others?  Are  we  willing  to  gain  power 
and  freedom  for  ourselves  by  making  others  powerless  and 
unfree?  Jesus  distinguishes  three  kinds  of  men  who  are  in- 
terested in  the  sheep — the  robber,  the  hireling,  and  the  shep- 
herd. You  can  tell  the  presence  of  the  robber  by  the  death 
of  the  sheep;  the  hireling  by  his  cowardice;  the  true  leader 
by  his  valor  and  love. 

A  special  word  should  be  said  to  college  women.  In  her 
book  on  "Woman  and  Labor,"  Olive  Schreiner  has  pointed 
out  that  as  families  rise  to  wealth,  the  women  slip  into 
parasitism  more  readily  than  the  men.  They  cease  to  do 
productive  work,  accept  the  luxuries  of  life  as  their  right, 
and  fall  in  with  upper-class  pretensions.  The  means  of 
leadership — time,  wealth,  social  resources — are  at  their  com- 
mand.    How  will  they  use  them?     The  number  of  women 

112 


LEADERSHIP  FOR  SERVICE  [VII-s] 

with  unearned  incomes  is  increasing  rapidly  in  America. 
Now,  if  much  is  given  them,  much  will  be  required.  Can 
they  produce  enough  social  values  to  justify  what  they  con- 
sume? The  least  we  can  do  is  to  give  as  much  as  we  get. 
Anything  less  is  immoral. 

What  kind  of  influence  do  college  girls  exert  on  able  young 
men  who  turn  toward  them  in  love?  Nothing  will  shrivel  the 
idealistic  conceptions  of  life  in  a  young  man  as  thoroughly 
as  love  for  a  selfish  woman.  The  world  is  full  of  eyeless 
Samsons,  grinding  the  money-mills,  and  whipped  to  a  quicker 
pace  by  smiling  grafters — who  would  not  recognize  this 
description  of  them  if  they  saw  it. 

Suggestions  for  Thought  and  Discussion 

I.  The  Need  of  Leadership 

1.  Does  the  need  of  leadership  diminish  with  the  spread 
of  democracy?    With  the  growth  of  education? 

2.  Do  we  need  leadership  more  or  less  in  America  today 
than  fifty  years  ago? 

II.  Jesus  on  the  Problems  of  Leadership 

1.  Give  proof  that  Jesus  consciously  confronted  the 
problem  of  social  leadership. 

2.  What  elements  did  he  condemn  in  the  old  leadership 
of  his   nation? 

3.  What  principle  of  leadership  did  he  lay  down  for 
the  new  social  order? 

4.  What  body  of  leaders  did  he  create,  and  what  stand- 
ards of  special  honor  did  he  impose  on  them? 

5.  What  do  we  think  of  the  historic  effectiveness  of 
the  leadership  he  created?  What  is  the  true  interpretation 
of  Judas  Iscariot? 

6.  What  evidences  are  there  in  Jesus'  career  that  he 
was  true  to  his  ideals  of  leadership? 

"3 


[VII-s]   THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

III.  The  Problem  of  Leadership  in  History 

1.  How  have  the  great  leaders  in  the  field  of  religion 
attacked  the  problem  of  leadership  in  the  Church?  What 
does  the  Protestant  Reformation  signify  from  this  point  of 
view? 

2.  How  have  the  landed  aristocrats  of  the  past  met  the 
Christian  test  of  leadership? 

3.  Give  examples  from  history  and  from  modern  life 
of  men  who  exercised  power  in  the  way  Christ  condemned. 
Give  examples  of  others  who  exercised  it  according  to 
Christ's  law. 

IV.  The  Problem  of  Leadership  in  Modern  Life 

1.  In  what  professions  is  ambition  now  securely  tied 
up  with  service,  so  that  a  man  must  serve  well  in  order 
to   rise? 

2.  In  what  positions  can  a  man  still  gain  power  and 
wealth  by  exploiting  society? 

3.  Is  the  consciousness  that  they  are  public  servants 
spreading  among  business  men?    If  so,  to  what  is  this  due? 

4.  Is  society  paying  too  big  a  price  for  the  leadership 
of  the  industrial  aristocracy  today? 

5.  When  the  interests  of  the  stockholders  are  set  over 
against  the  health  of  women  and  children,  and  the  safety 
of  employes,  which  consideration  determines  the  wages 
paid? 

6.  How  have  the  social  leaders  of  the  past  mortgaged 
the  economic  resources  of  nations  to  their  own  families? 
To  what  extent  is  this  true  of  our  country? 

7.  How  can  society  protect  itself  against  exploitation 
under  present  conditions? 

V.  For  Special  Discussion 

I.    A  corporation  has  averaged  24  per  cent  to  its  stock- 
holders.    It  pays  twelve   dollars   a   week  to   its   ordinary 
114 


LEADERSHIP  FOR  SERVICE  [VII-s] 

workmen.      Would    you    call    this    predatory    leadership? 
Where  do  you  draw  the  line? 

2.  Does  the  salary  of  teachers  in  our  country  indicate 
that  we  give  honor  according  to  service  rendered? 

3.  How  does  the  increasing  size  of  business  undertak- 
ings and  their  importance  for  public  welfare  emphasize  the 
ethical  importance  of  right  leadership? 


im 


CHAPTER  VIII 

PRIVATE  PROPERTY  AND  THE 
COMMON  GOOD 

Private  Property  Must  Serve  Social  Welfare 

A  glance  across  history  or  a  simple  acquaintance  with 
human  life  in  any  community  will  show  us  that  private 
property  is  at  the  same  time  a  necessary  expression  of 
personality  and  stimulator  of  character,  and,  on  the  other 
hand,  a  chief  outlet  and  fortification  of  selfishness.  Every 
reformatory  effort  must  aim  to  conserve  and  spread  the 
blessings  of  property,  and  every  step  toward  a  better  social 
order  will  be  pugnaciously  blocked  by  its  selfish  beneficiaries. 

What  were  Jesus'  convictions  about  private  property? 

Daily  Readings 

First  Day:   The  Rival  Interest 

And  he  spake  to  them  many  things  in  parables, 
saying,  Behold,  the  sower  went  forth  to  sow;  and 
as  he  sowed,  some  seeds  fell  by  the  way  side,  and 
the  birds  came  and  devoured  them:  and  others  fell 
upon  the  rocky  places,  where  they  had  not  much 
earth :  and  straightway  they  sprang  up,  because  they 
had  no  deepness  of  earth:  and  when  the  sun  was 
risen,  they  were  scorched ;  and  because  they  had  no 
root,  they  withered  away.  And  others  fell  upon 
the  thorns;  and  the  thorns  grew  up  and  choked 
them :  and  others  fell  upon  the  good  ground,  and 
yielded  fruit,  some  a  hundredfold,  some  sixty,  some 
thirty.  .  .  .  When  any  one  heareth  the  word  of  the 
kingdom,  and  understandeth  it  not,  then  cometh  the 
ii6 


PROPERTY  AND  COMMON  GOOD     [VIII-2] 

evil  one,  and  snatcheth  away  that  which  hath  been 
sown  in  his  heart.  This  is  he  that  was  sown  by  the 
way  side.  And  he  that  was  sown  upon  the  rocky 
places,  this  is  he  that  heareth  the  word,  and  straight- 
way with  joy  receiveth  it;  yet  hath  he  not  root  in 
himself,  but  endureth  for  a  while ;  and  when  tribula- 
tion or  persecution  ariseth  because  of  the  word, 
straightway  he  stumbleth.  And  he  that  was  sown 
among  the  thorns,  this  is  he  that  heareth  the  word ; 
and  the  care  of  the  world,  and  the  deceitfulness  of 
riches,  choke  the  word,  and  he  becometh  unfruitful. 
And  he  that  was  sown  upon  the  good  ground,  this  is 
he  that  heareth  the  word,  and  understandeth  it ;  who 
verily  beareth  fruit,  and  bringeth  forth,  some  a 
hundredfold,  some  sixty,  some  thirty. — Matt.  13 : 
3-8;  19-23. 

This  parable  was  intended  to  explain  to  the  disciples  why 
the  Kingdom  was  not  coming  with  a  rush,  as  they  expected. 
The  story  embodies  the  practical  experiences  of  Jesus  in  his 
propaganda.  He  saw  his  work  as  a  duplication  of  the  sower's 
work  on  a  higher  level.  The  success  of  both  depends  on 
the  receptiveness  of  the  soil.  The  sower  encounters  hard 
trodden  ground,  rocky  patches,  and  spots  where  hardy  thorns 
or  thistles  drain  the  soil  and  where  his  work  produces  only 
empty  ears  and  futile  beginnings.  So  Jesus  met  the  stolid 
conservative  and  also  the  emotional  type.  But  the  climax 
of  his  difficulties  was  a  mind  preoccupied  by  property  worries, 
or  lured  by  the  illusions  of  wealth.  He  early  found,  then, 
that  devotion  to  property  is  likely  to  be  a  rival  to  the  higher 
interests  and  the  common  good. 

How  do  modern  social  groups  line  up  when  measured  by 
spiritual  receptiveness  ? 

Second  Day:  The  Accumulator 

And    one    out    of    the    multitude    said    unto    him. 
Teacher,  bid  my  brother  divide  the  inheritance  with 
me.     But  he  said  unto  him,  Man,  who  made  me  a 
117 


IVIII-2]   THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

judge  or  a  divider  over  you?  And  he  said  unto 
them,  Take  heed,  and  keep  yourselves  from  all 
covetousness :  for  a  man's  life  consisteth  not  in  the 
abundance  of  the  things  which  he  possesseth.  And 
he  spake  a  parable  unto  them,  saying,  The  ground 
of  a  certain  rich  man  brought  forth  plentifully:  and 
he  reasoned  within  himself,  saying.  What  shall  I  do, 
because  I  have  not  where  to  bestow  my  fruits?  And 
he  said.  This  will  I  do :  I  will  pull  down  my  barns,  and 
build  greater;  and  there  will  I  bestow  all  my  grain 
and  my  goods.  And  I  will  say  to  my  soul,  Soul,  thou 
hast  much  goods  laid  up  for  many  years ;  take  thine 
ease,  eat,  drink,  be  merry.  But  God  said  unto  him, 
Thou  foolish  one,  this  night  is  thy  soul  required  of 
thee;  and  the  things  which  thou  hast  prepared,  whose 
shall  they  be?  So  is  he  that  layeth  up  treasure  for 
himself,  and  is  not  rich  toward  God. — Luke  12 :  13-21. 

Most  men  today  would  have  no  fault  to  find  with  this 
man.  He  was  only  doing  what  the  modern  world  is  unani- 
mously trying  to  do.  Having  made  a  pile,  he  proposed  to 
make  a  bigger  pile.  Meanwhile  he  slapped  his  soul  on  the 
back  and  smacked  his  lips  in  anticipation.  To  Jesus  the  fat 
farmer  was  a  tragic  comedy.  In  the  first  place,  an  unseen 
hand  was  waiting  to  snuff  out  his  candle.  To  plan  life  as 
if  it  consisted  in  an  abundance  of  material  wealth  is  some- 
thing of  a  miscalculation  in  a  world  where  death  is  part  of 
the  scheme  of  things.  In  the  second  place,  Jesus  saw  no 
higher  purpose  in  the  man's  aim  and  outlook  to  redeem  his 
acquisitiveness.  The  man  was  a  sublimated  chipmunk,  gloat- 
ing over  bushels  of  pignuts.  If  wealth  is  saved  to  raise  and 
educate  children,  or  achieve  some  social  good,  it  deserves 
moral  respect  or  admiration.  But  if  the  acquisitive  instinct 
is  without  social  feeling  or  vision,  and  centered  on  self,  it 
gets  no  respect,  at  least  from  Jesus. 

Unlimited  acquisition  used  to  be  considered  immoral  and 
dishonorable.  How  and  when  did  public  opinion  change  on 
this? 

118 


PROPERTY  AND  COMMON  GOOD     [VIII-3] 

Third  Day  :  Quit  Grafting 

And  the  multitudes  asked  him,  saying,  What  then 
must  we  do?  And  he  answered  and  said  unto  them, 
He  that  hath  two  coats,  let  him  impart  to  him  that 
hath  none;  and  he  that  hath  food,  let  him  do  like- 
wise. And  there  came  also  publicans  to  be  baptized, 
and  they  said  unto  him.  Teacher,  what  must  we  do? 
And  he  said  unto  them.  Extort  no  more  than  that 
which  is  appointed  you.  And  soldiers  also  asked  him, 
saying,  And  we,  what  must  we  do?  And  he  said 
unto  them.  Extort  from  no  man  by  violence,  neither 
accuse  any  one  wrongfully;  and  be  content  with  your 
wages. — Luke  3  :  10-14. 

The  social  teachings  of  John  the  Baptist  were  so  close 
to  those  of  Jesus  that  we  can  safely  draw  on  them  in  this 
passage. 

John  told  the  people  that  a  new  era  was  coming  and  they 
would  have  to  get  a  new  mind  and  manner  of  life  as  an  outfit 
for  it.  The  people  asked  for  specifications.  John's  sugges- 
tions ran  along  two  lines.  He  encouraged  the  plain  working 
people  to  be  neighborly  and  friendly,  and  share  with  a  man 
who  was  hard  up.  With  powerful  individuals,  like  hired 
soldiers  and  Roman  tax-farmers,  he  insisted  that  they  must 
quit  using  their  physical  force  and  legal  power  as  a  cinch 
to  extort  money.  In  other  words,  they  must  quit  grafting. 
In  the  Kingdom  of  God  the  "big,  black  book  of  graft"  will 
be  closed,  and  men  will  no  longer  eat  their  protesting  fellow- 
men.  The  more  we  reaUze  that  some  form  of  graft  is  at 
the  bottom  of  most  easy  incomes,  the  more  good  sense  will 
we  see  in  this  kind  of  evangelism. 

Have  we  ever  been  a  victim  of  extortion?  How  did  it 
feel?    Did  it  sour  the  milk  of  human  kindness  in  us? 

Fourth  Day:  God  versus  Mammon 

Lay  not  up  for  yourselves  treasures  upon  the  earth, 
where  moth   and   rust   consume,   and   w'here   thieves 
119 


[VIII-S]   THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

break  through  and  steal :  but  lay  up  for  yourselves 
treasures  in  heaven,  where  neither  moth  nor  rust 
doth  consume,  and  where  thieves  do  not  break 
through  nor  steal :  for  where  thy  treasure  is  there 
will  thy  heart  be  also.  The  lamp  of  the  body  is  the 
eye :  if  therefore  thine  eye  be  single,  thy  whole  body 
shall  be  full  of  light.  But  if  thine  eye  be  evil,  thy 
whole  body  shall  be  full  of  darkness.  If  therefore 
the  light  that  is  in  thee  be  darkness,  how  great  is  the 
darkness !  No  man  can  serve  two  masters :  for  either 
he  will  hate  the  one,  and  love  the  other;  or  else  he 
will  hold  to  one,  and  despise  the  other.  Ye  cannot 
serve  God  and  mammon. — Matt.  6:  19-24. 

Acquisition  may  operate  on  different  planes.  A  man  may 
accumulate  material  stuff,  or  he  may  acquire  spiritual  facul- 
ties, memories,  and  relations.  In  a  balanced  life  the  two  work 
side  by  side  in  peace,  and  each  may  aid  the  other.  But  the 
experience  of  all  spiritual  teachers  shows  that  practically 
the  acquisition  of  property  often  becomes  a  passion  which 
absorbs  the  man  and  leaves  little  energy  for  the  higher  pur- 
suits. Most  men  who  have  used  up  their  life  to  acquire 
wealth  look  back  with  homesickness  to  some  idealistic  aspira- 
tion of  their  youth  as  to  a  lost  Edenland.  Jesus  felt  the 
antagonism  of  private  wealth  and  the  Kingdom  of  God  so 
keenly  that  he  set  God  and  Mammon  over  against  each 
other,  and  warned  us  that  we  must  choose  between  them. 
Placed  in  this  connection,  the  saying  about  the  darkening  of 
the  inner  light  seems  to  refer  to  the  influence  of  money- 
getting  on  the  higher  vision  of  the  soul.  This  entire  passage 
is  fundamental  and  will  explain  other  sayings  which  follow. 

Do  God  and  money  come  into  flat  collision  in  college  life? 

Fifth  Day:  The  Divisive  Influence  of  Riches 

Now  there  was  a   certain  rich   man,   and  he  was 

clothed  in  purple  and  fine  linen,   faring  sumptuously 

every  day:  and  a  certain  beggar  named  Lazarus  was 

laid  at  his  gate,  full  of  sores,  and  desiring  to  be  fed 

120 


PROPERTY  AND  COMMON  GOOD     [VIII-5] 

with  the  crumbs  that  fell  from  the  rich  man's  table; 
yea,  even  the  dogs  came  and  licked  his  sores.  And 
it  came  to  pass,  that  the  beggar  died,  and  that  he  was 
carried  away  by  the  angels  into  Abraham's  bosom : 
and  the  rich  man  also  died,  and  was  buried.  And  in 
Hades  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  being  in  torments,  and 
seeth  Abraham  afar  off,  and  Lazarus  in  his  bosom. 
And  he  cried  and  said.  Father  Abraham,  have  mercy 
on  me,  and  send  Lazarus,  that  he  may  dip  the  tip  of 
his  finger  in  water,  and  cool  my  tongue;  for  I  am 
in  anguish  in  this  flame.  But  Abraham  said.  Son, 
remember  that  thou  in  thy  lifetime  receivedst  thy 
good  things,  and  Lazarus  in  like  manner  evil  things : 
but  now  here  he  is  comforted,  and  thou  art  in  anguish. 
And  besides  all  this,  between  us  and  you  there  is  a 
great  gulf  fixed,  that  they  that  would  pass  from 
hence  to  you  may  not  be  able,  and  that  none  may 
cross  over  from  thence  to  us.  And  he  said,  I  pray 
thee  therefore,  father,  that  thou  wouldest  send  him 
to  my  father's  house;  for  I  have  five  brethren;  that 
he  may  testify  unto  them,  lest  they  also  come  into 
this  place  of  torment.  But  Abraham  saith,  They  have 
Moses  and  the  prophets ;  let  them  hear  them.  And 
he  said,  Nay,  father  Abraham :  but  if  one  go  to  them 
from  the  dead,  they  will  repent.  And  he  said  unto 
him,  If  they  hear  not  Moses  and  the  prophets,  neither 
will  they  be  persuaded,  if  one  rise  from  the  dead. 
— Luke  16:  19-31. 

Why  does  Jesus  send  the  rich  man  to  hell  as  if  it  were  a 
matter  of  course?  No  crimes  or  vices  are  alleged.  It  must 
be  that  a  life  given  over  to  sumptuous  living  and  indifferent 
to  the  want  and  misery  of  a  fellow-man  at  the  doorstep 
seemed  to  Jesus  a  deeply  immoral  and  sinful  life.  Jesus 
exerted  all  his  energies  to  bring  men  close  together  in  love. 
But  wealth  divides.  It  creates  semi-human  relations  between 
social  classes,  so  that  a  small  dole  seems  to  be  a  full  dis- 
charge of  obligations  toward  the  poor,  and  manly  inde- 
pendence and  virtue  may  be  resented  as  ofifensive.  The  sting 
of  this  parable  is  in  the  reference  to  the  five  brothers  who 

121 


IVIII-6]  THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

were  still  living  as  Dives  had  lived,  and  whom  he  was  vainly 
trying  to  reach  by  wireless.     See  verse  14  in  explanation. 

Is  it  fair  to  call  the  relations  between  the  selfish  rich  and 
the  dependent  poor  "semi-human  relations"? 

Sixth  Day:  Get  a  Plank  for  the  Deluge 

And  he  said  also  unto  the  disciples,  There  was  a 
certain  rich  man,  who  had  a  steward;  and  the  same 
was  accused  unto  him  that  he  was  wasting  his  goods. 
And  he  called  him,  and  said  unto  him,  What  is  this 
that  I  hear  of  thee?  render  the  account  of  thy  stew- 
ardship; for  thou  canst  be  no  longer  steward.  And 
the  steward  said  within  himself.  What  shall  I  do, 
seeing  that  my  lord  taketh  away  the  stewardship 
from  me?  I  have  not  strength  to  dig;  to  beg  I  am 
ashamed.  I  am  resolved  what  to  do,  that,  when  I 
am  put  out  of  the  stewardship,  they  may  receive  me 
into  their  houses.  And  calling  to  him  each  one  of 
his  lord's  debtors,  he  said  to  the  first,  How  much 
owest  thou  unto  my  lord?  And  he  said,  A  hundred 
measures  of  oil.  And  he  said  unto  him,  Take  thy 
bond,  and  sit  down  quickly  and  write  fifty.  Then 
said  he  to  another,  And  how  much  owest  thou? 
And  he  said,  A  hundred  measures  of  wheat.  He  saith 
unto  him.  Take  thy  bond,  and  write  fourscore.  And 
his  lord  commended  the  unrighteous  steward  because 
he  had  done  wisely:  for  the  sons  of  this  world  are 
for  their  own  generation  wiser  than  the  sons  of  the 
light.  And  I  say  unto  you.  Make  to  yourselves 
friends  by  means  of  the  mammon  of  unrighteous- 
ness; that,  when  it  shall  fail,  they  may  receive  you 
into  the  eternal  tabernacles. — Luke  16 :  1-9. 

This  is  one  of  the  wittiest  stories  in  the  Bible  and  must 
be  read  with  some  sense  of  humor.  The  tenant  farmers  of 
a  great  estate  paid  their  rent  in  shares  of  the  produce.  This 
elastic  system  offered  the  steward  a  chance  to  make  some- 
thing on  the  side.  He  was  found  out  and  discharged,  but 
while  he  was  closing  up  his  accounts  he  still  had  a  short  spell 

ia2 


PROPERTY  AND  COMMON  GOOD     [VIII-7] 

of  authority.  Things  looked  dark.  He  did  not  care  to 
blister  his  white  hands  with  a  hoe-handle,  nor  his  social  pride 
by  begging.  So  he  grafted  one  last  graft,  but  on  so  large 
a  scale  that  the  tenants  would  be  under  lasting  obligations 
to  him.  The  scamp  was  a  crook,  but  at  least  he  was  long- 
headed. Jesus  wished  the  children  of  light  were  as  clever  in 
taking  a  long  look  ahead  as  the  children  of  this  world.  In 
that  case  men  would  get  ready  for  the  new  age,  in  which 
mammon  loses  its  buying  power,  by  making  friends  with  it 
now,  and  their  friends  would  take  them  in  as  guests  after 
the  great  reversal. 

How  do  you  like  the  humorous  independence  of  Jesus? 

Seventh   Day:  Stranded  on  His  Wealth 

And  a  certain  ruler  asked  him,  saying,  Good 
Teacher,  what  shall  I  do  to  inherit  eternal  life? 
And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Why  callest  thou  me  good? 
none  is  good,  save  one,  even  God.  Thou  knowest 
the  commandments,  Do  not  commit  adultery,  Do  not 
kill.  Do  not  steal,  Do  not  bear  false  witness.  Honor 
thy  father  and  mother.  And  he  said.  All  these 
things  have  I  observed  from  my  youth  up.  And  when 
Jesus  heard  it,  he  said  unto  him.  One  thing  thou 
lackest  yet:  sell  all  that  thou  hast,  and  distribute 
unto  the  poor,  and  thou  shalt  have  treasure  in 
heaven :  and  come,  follow  me.  But  when  he  heard 
these  things,  he  became  exceeding  sorrowful;  for 
he  was  very  rich.  And  Jesus  seeing  him  said,  How 
hardly  shall  they  that  have  riches  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  God !  For  it  is  easier  for  a  camel  to 
enter  in  through  a  needle's  eye,  than  for  a  rich  man 
to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God. — Luke  18:  18-25. 

A  fine  young  man,  of  clean  and  conscientious  life,  but 
with  unsatisfied  aspirations  in  his  soul.  Jesus  invites  him 
to  a  more  heroic  type  of  excellence,  cutting  loose  from  his 
wealth  and  devoting  himself  to  the  apostolate  of  the  King- 
dom of  God.     It  was  a  great  chance  for  a  great  life.     He 

123 


[VIII-s]   THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

might  have  stood  for  God  before  kings  and  mobs,  and  ranked 
with  Peter,  John,  and  Paul  as  a  household  name.  He  did 
not  rise  to  his  chance.  What  held  him?  Jesus  felt  it  was 
his  wealth.  A  poor  man  would  have  had  less  to  leave,  and 
might  have  left  it  cheerfully.  So  Jesus  sums  up  the  psycho- 
logical situation  in  the  saddened  exclamation  that  it  is  ex- 
ceedingly hard  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  the  Kingdom  where 
men  live  in  justice,  fraternity,  and  idealism. 

Have  you  noticed  that  in  recent  years  an  increasing  number 
of  this  man's  grandsons  are  trying  to  cut  loose  and  find  the 
feal  life,  eternal  life?     Can  you  name  any? 

Study  for  the  Week 

Evidently  the  dangers  connected  with  property  were  much 
in  the  mind  of  Jesus.  He  seems  to  have  emphasized  them 
more  fully  and  frequently  than  the  evils  of  licentiousness  Or 
drunkenness.  The  modern  Church  has  reversed  the  relative 
emphasis.     Why? 

Of  course  we  must  not  look  for  the  methods  or  view- 
points of  political  economy  in  his  teachings.  His  concern 
was  for  the  spiritual  vitality  and  soundness  of  the  individual, 
and  for  the  human  relations  existing  among  men.  He  was 
interested  in  property  only  in  so  far  as  it  corrupted  the  higher 
nature  or  made  fraternity  difBcult.  But  let  no  one  under- 
estimate the  importance  of  these  considerations.  These  things 
are  the  real  end  of  life.  All  the  rest  is  scaffolding.  We 
should  be  farther  along  if  the  economic  and  social  sciences 
had  kept  these  fundamental  questions  more  sternly  in  sight. 


Plainly  Jesus  felt  that  the  acquisitive  instinct,  like  the  sex 
instinct,  easily  breaks  bounds  and  becomes  ravenous;  there 
is  even  less  natural  limit  to  it.  It  absorbs  the  energies  of 
intellect  and  will.  As  with  the  rich  fool,  the  horizon  of  life 
is  filled  with  chances  to  make  the  pile  grow  bigger.  Life 
seems   to   consist   of    money,    and    the   problems   of    money. 

124 


PROPERTY  AND  COMMON  GOOD     [VIII-s] 

People  are  valued  according  to  that  standard.  Marriages 
are  arranged  for  it.  Politics  is  run  for  it.'  Wars  are  begun 
for  it.  Creative  artistic  and  intellectual  impulses  are  shoul- 
dered aside,  fall  asleep,  or  die  of  inanition.  Property  is 
intended  to  secure  freedom  of  action  and  self-development; 
in  fact,  it  often  chains  men  and  clips  their  wings.  This 
is  what  Jesus  calls  "the  deceitfulness  of  riches"  and  "the 
darkening  of  the  inner  eye."  ^ 

In  addition  to  the  blight  of  character,  wealth  exerts  a  de- 
socializing  and  divisive  influence.  It  wedges  apart  groups 
that  belong  together.  Dives  and  Lazarus  may  live  in  the 
front  and  rear  of  the  same  block,  but  with  no  sense  of 
solidarity.  Dives  would  have  been  deeply  moved,  perhaps, 
if  one  of  his  own  class  had  punctured  a  tire  in  the  Philistian 
desert  and  gone  for  two  days  without  any  food  except 
crumbs.  The  separation  of  humanity  into  classes  on  the 
lines  of  wealth  is  so  universal  and  so  orthodox  that  few 
of  us  ever  realize  that  it  flouts  all  the  principles  of  Chris- 
tianity and  humanity. 

In  the  case  of  the  young  ruler  Jesus  encountered  the  fact 
that  wealth  bars  men  out  of  the  world  of  their  ideals.  The 
question  was  not  whether  the  young  man  could  get  to  heaven, 
but  whether  he  could  have  a  share  in  the  real  life,  in  the 
kingdom  of  right  relations.  It  is  hard  to  acquire  great 
wealth  without  doing  injustice  to  others;  it  is  hard  to  possess 
it  and  yet  deal  with  others  on  the  basis  of  equal  humanity; 
it  is  hard  to  give  it  away  even  without  doing  mischief. 

We  have  seen  that  Jesus  believed  profoundly  in  the  value 
and  dignity  of  human  life;  that  he  sought  to  create  solidarity; 
that  he  was  chiefly  concerned  for  the  saving  of  the  lowly; 
and  that  he  demanded  an  heroic  life  in  the  service  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God.  But  wealth,  as  he  saw  it,  flouted  the  value 
of  life,  dissolved  the  spiritual  solidarity  of  whole  classes, 
and  kept  the  lowly  low ;  the  wealthy  had  lost  the  capacity  for 
an  heroic  life. 


'See  the  chapter  on  "The  Tragedy  of  Dives"  in  Rauschenbusch,  "Christian- 
izing the  Social  Order,"  p.  291. 

125 


[VIII-s]   THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

This  is  radical  teaching.  What  shall  we  say  to  it?  Jesus 
is  backed  by  the  Old  Testament  prophets  and  the  most 
spiritual  teaching  of  the  Hebrew  people,  which  condemned 
injustice  and  extortionate  money-making  even  more  ener- 
getically than  did  Jesus.  Medieval  Christianity  sincerely 
assented  to  the  principle  that  private  property  is  a  danger  to 
the  soul  and  a  neutralizer  of  love.  Every  monastic  com- 
munity tried  to  cut  under  sex  dangers  by  celibacy,  and  prop- 
erty dangers  by  communism.  This  was  an  enormous  misinter- 
pretation of  Christianity,  but  it  shows  that  men  took  the  teach- 
ings on  the  dangers  of  private  property  seriously.  The 
modern  Christian  world  does  not.  It  has  quietly  set  aside  the 
ideas  of  Jesus  on  this  subject,  lives  its  life  without  much 
influence  from  them,  and  contents  itself  with  emphasizing 
other  aspects. 

Has  the  teaching  of  Jesus  on  private  property  been  super- 
seded by  a  better  understanding  of  the  social  value  of 
property?  Or  has  his  teaching  been  suppressed  and  swamped 
by  the  universal  covetousness  of  modern  life?  "Our  moral 
pace-setters  strike  at  bad  personal  habits,  but  act  as  if  there 
was  something  sacred  about  money-getting;  and,  seeing  that 
the  master  iniquities  of  our  time  are  connected  with  money- 
making,  they  do  not  get  into  the  fight  at  all.  The  child- 
drivers,  monopoly-builders,  and  crooked  financiers  have  no 
fear  of  men  whose  thought  is  run  in  the  moulds  of  their 
grandfathers.  Go  to  the  tainted-money  colleges,  and  you 
will  learn  that  Drink,  not  Graft,  is  the  nation's  bane" 
(Edward  A.  Ross,  "Sin  and  Society,  an  Analysis  of  Latter- 
day  Iniquity,"  p.  97 — the  italics  are  his). 


II 

The  machinery  for  making  money  which  Jesus  knew,  was 
simple,  crude,  and  puny  compared  with  the  complicated  and 
pervasive  system  which  the  magnates  of  modern  industry 
have  built  up.  There  was  probably  not  a  millionaire  in  all 
Palestine.     What  would  he  have  said  to  our  great  cities? 

126 


PROPERTY  AND  COMMON  GOOD     [VIII-s] 

We  need  a  Christian  ethics  of  property,  more  perhaps  than 
anything  else.  The  wrongs  connected  with  wealth  are  the 
most  vulnerable  point  of  our  civilization.  Unless  we  can 
make  that  crooked  place  straight,  all  our  charities  and  religion 
are  involved  in  hypocrisy. 

We  have  to  harmonize  the  two  facts,  that  wealth  is  good 
and  necessary,  and  that  wealth  is  a  danger  to  its  possessor 
and  to  society.  On  the  one  hand  property  is  indispensable  to 
personal  freedom,  to  all  higher  individuality,  and  to  self- 
realization;  the  right  to  property  is  a  corollary  of  the  right 
to  life;  without  property  men  are  at  the  mercy  of  nature 
and  in  bondage  to  those  who  have  property.  On  the  other 
hand  property  is  used  as  a  means  of  collecting  tribute  and 
private  taxes,  as  a  club  with  which  to  extort  unearned  gain 
from  laborers  and  consumers,  and  as  the  fundamental  tool 
of  oppression. 

Where  do  we  draw  the  line?  Is  it  true  that  property 
created  by  productive  labor  is  a  great  moralizer,  and  that 
property  acquired  without  productive  labor  is  the  great  de- 
moralizer? Is  it  correct  that  property  for  use  is  on  the  whole 
good,  and  property  for  power  is  a  menace? 

What  is  the  relation  between  property  and  self-develop- 
ment? At  what  point  does  property  become  excessive?  At 
what  point  does  food  become  excessive  and  poisonous?  At 
what  point  does  fertilizer  begin  to  kill  a  plant?  Would  any 
real  social  values  be  lost  if  incomes  averaged  $2,000  and 
none  exceeded  $10,000? 

To  what  extent  does  a  moral  purpose  take  the  dangers  out 
of  acquisition? 

Is  any  life  moral  in  which  the  natural  capacities  are  not 
sincerely  taxed  to  do  productive  work?  If  a  man's  wealth 
is  destined  to  cut  his  descendants  off  from  productive  labor, 
is  it  a  blessing?  What  is  the  moral  difference  between 
strenuous  occupation  and  labor?  How  large  a  proportion  of 
our  time  and  energy  can  be  devoted  to  play  and  leisure 
without  softening  our  moral  fiber? 

At  what  points  does  private  property  come  to  be  anti- 
127 


[VIII-s]   THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

social?  If  we  could  eliminate  the  monopoly  elements  and 
the  capacity  to  levy  tribute,  would  there  be  much  danger  in 
the  remainder? 

Does  private  property,  in  the  enormous  aggregations  of 
today  and  in  control  of  the  essential  outfit  of  society,  still 
correspond  to  the  essential  theoretical  conception  of  private 
property,  or  have  public  properties  and  public  functions  fallen 
under  private  control?  "Much  that  we  are  accustomed  to 
hear  called  legitimate  insistence  upon  the  rights  of  property, 
the  Old  Testament  would  seem  to  call  the  robbery  of  God 
and  grinding  the  faces  of  the  poor"  (The  Bishop  of  Oxford). 

Ill 

The  religious  spirit  will  always  have  to  call  the  individual 
farther  than  the  law  can  compel  him  to  go.  After  all  unjust 
and  tainted  portions  have  been  eliminated  from  our  property, 
religion  lays  its  hands  on  the  rest  and  says,  "You  are  only 
a  steward  over  this."  In  the  parables  of  the  talents,  the 
pounds,  and  the  unjust  steward,  Jesus  argues  on  the  assump- 
tion that  our  resources  are  a  trust,  and  not  absolute  property. 
We  manage  and  control  them,  but  always  under  responsi- 
bility. We  hold  them  from  God,  and  his  will  has  eminent 
domain.  But  the  will  of  God  is  identical  with  the  good 
of  mankind.  Wlien  we  hold  property  in  trust  for  God,  we 
hold  it  for  humanity,  of  which  we  are  part.  We  misuse  the 
trust  if  by  it  we  deprive  others  of  health,  freedom,  joy, 
hope,  or  efficiency,  for  instance,  by  overworking  others  and 
underworking  our  own  children. 

Suggestions  for  Thought  and  Discussion 
I.     The  Love  of  Money 

1.  Define  graft.  What  is  wrong  in  it?  Where  do  we 
see  it?    Where  are  we  myopic  about  it? 

2.  Why  did  Jesus  have  so  much  to  say  about  money 
and  so  little  about  drink?  Why  does  Paul  call  the  love 
of  money  "the  root  of  all  evil"? 

128 


PROPERTY  AND  COMMON  GOOD     [VIII-s] 

II.  Jesus'  Fear  of  Riches 

1.  On  what  ground  does  Jesus  fear  the  influence  of 
riches  and  of  their  accumulation? 

2.  Summarize  Jesus'  teachings  regarding  wealth. 

3.  In  what  respects  is  his  attitude  different  from  the 
ordinary  viewpoint  of  the  modern  world? 

4.  Was  Jesus  opposed  to  the  owning  of  farming  tools 
or  fishing  smacks?  Where  would  he  draw  the  line  be- 
tween honest  earnings  and  dangerous  wealth? 

5.  Was  his  teaching  on  wealth  ascetic?  Was  it  social- 
istic? 

6.  To  what  extent  should  we  recognize  his  insight  on 
this  question  as  authority  for  us? 

III.  The  Problem  of  Wealth  in  the  Modern  World 

1.  Are  the  "master  iniquities"  of  our  age  located  in  sex 
life,  politics,  or  business? 

2.  Distinguish  between  "property  for  use"  and  "property 
for  power." 

3.  What  are  the  moral  evils  created  by  mass  poverty? 
By  aggregations  of  wealthy  families? 

4.  Why  has  the  modern  world  set  aside  Jesus'  teachings 
about  wealth?  To  what  extent  have  we  substituted  a 
better  understanding  of  the  social  value  of  property? 
How  far  should  we  be  satisfied  with  our  present  adjust- 
ment of  the  property  question? 

5.  What  methods  of  money  making  are  condemned  by 
the  common  sentiment  of  the  Church?  Is  there  anything 
which  ought  to  be  included  in  this  condemnation?  If  so, 
what? 

IV.  The  Christian  Attitude   Toward  Property  and   Wealth 
Under  Modern  Conditions 

I.  At  what  point  does  the  amassing  of  private  property 
become  contrary  to  the  principles  of  Jesus? 

129 


[VIII-s]  THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

2.  What  legalized  property  rights  are  antagonistic  to 
Jesus'  principles? 

3.  How  can  society  accumulate  wealth  without  the 
injustice  and  social  divisions  which  now  accompany  the 
amassing  of  private  fortunes? 

4.  If  a  man  has  an  invested  income,  has  he  the  right 
to  live  a  life  of  leisure?  When  is  it  right  to  be  a  non- 
producer  ? 

5.  How  rich  has  a  Christian  a  right  to  be?  In  a  Chris- 
tian society  what  is  the  minimum  limit  of  income? 

6.  Would  economic  democracy  eliminate  or  enforce  the 
doctrine  of  stewardship? 

7.  How  can  we  pluck  the  sting  of  sin  out  of  private 
property? 

V.    For  Special  Discussion 

1.  Are  millionaires  a  symptom  of  social  disease  or  a 
triumph  of  civilization? 

2.  Should  social  science  reckon  with  the  influence  of 
wealth  on  personal  character? 

3.  What  moral  conviction  is  expressed  in  the  condem- 
nation of  usurious  interest  and  of  rack-rent?  Should 
excessive  profit  be  included? 

4.  How  could  industry  be  financed  if  there  were  no 
wealthy  investors  with  accumulations? 

5.  When  is  a  college  student  a  parasite? 

6.  If  college  communities  had  less  money  would  they 
breed  better  men  and  women? 

7.  How  have  the  successes  of  predatory  finance  affected 
the  outlook  and  morality  of  college  students? 


130 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  SOCIAL  TEST  OF  RELIGION 

Religion  Must  be  Socially  Efficient 

The  teaching  of  Jesus  dealt  with  three  recalcitrant  forces, 
which  easily  escape  from  the  control  of  social  duty  and 
become  a  clog  to  spiritual  progress :  ambition  for  power  and 
leadership,  and  the  love  of  property,  have  been  considered. 
How  about  religion?  Is  it  a  help  or  a  hindrance  in  the  prog- 
ress of  humanity?  Opinions  are  very  much  divided  today. 
No  student  of  society  can  neglect  religion  as  a  social  force. 
What  did  Jesus  think  of  it? 

Daily  Readings 

First  Day:  Worship  is  not  Enough 

What  unto  me  is  the  multitude  of  your  sacrifices? 
saith  Jehovah:  I  have  had  enough  of  the  burnt- 
offerings  of  rams,  and  the  fat  of  fed  beasts;  and  I 
delight  not  in  the  blood  of  bullocks,  or  of  lambs,  or  of 
he-goats.  When  ye  come  to  appear  before  me,  who 
hath  required  this  at  your  hand,  to  trample  my 
courts?  Bring  no  more  vain  oblations;  incense  is 
an  abomination  unto  me;  new  moon  and  sabbath, 
the  calling  of  assemblies, — I  cannot  away  with  in- 
iquity and  the  solemn  meeting.  Your  new  moons  and 
your  appointed  feasts  my  soul  hateth;  they  are  a 
trouble  unto  me;  I  am  weary  of  bearing  them.  And 
when  ye  spread  forth  your  hands,  I  will  hide  mine 
eyes  from  you;  yea,  when  ye  make  many  prayers,  I 
will  not  hear:  your  hands  are  full  of  blood.  Wash 
you,  make  you  clean;  put  away  the  evil  of  your 
doings   from   before   mine   eyes;    cease   to   do   evil; 

131 


[IX-2]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

learn  to  do  well;  seek  justice,  relieve  the  oppressed, 
judge  the  fatherless,  plead  for  the  widow. — Isa.  i : 
11-17. 

Wherewith  shall  I  come  before  Jehovah,  and  bow 
myself  before  the  high  God?  shall  I  come  before 
him  with  burnt-offerings,  with  calves  a  year  old? 
will  Jehovah  be  pleased  with  thousands  of  rams,  or 
with  ten  thousands  of  rivers  of  oil?  shall  I  give  my 
first-born  for  my  transgression,  the  fruit  of  my 
body  for  the  sin  of  my  soul?  He  hath  showed  theej 
O  man,  what  is  good ;  and  what  doth  Jehovah  re- 
quire of  thee,  but  to  do  justly,  and  to  love  kindness, 
and  to  walk  humbly  with  thy  God? — Micah  6:  6-8. 

These  two  passages  are  classical  expressions  of  a  note 
which  runs  through  all  the  prophetic  teaching  of  the  Old 
Testament.  There  was  a  fundamental  antagonism  between 
those  who  saw  the  service  of  God  in  the  inherited  ritual  and 
sacrificial  action,  and  those  who  felt  that  the  essential  service 
of  God  is  righteousness  of  life.  The  prophets  wanted  a 
religion  that  would  change  social  conduct,  and  repudiated 
religious  doings  that  had  no  ethical  value.  They  held  that 
worship  alone  is  not  enough.    God  wants  life  and  conduct. 

Suggest  parallels  from  the  history  of  the  Christian  or  the 
non-Christian  religions. 

Second  Day:  The  Test  of  Social  Value 

And  it  came  to  pass,  that  he  was  going  on  the 
sabbath  day  through  the  grainfields;  and  his  dis- 
ciples began,  as  they  went,  to  pluck  the  ears.  And 
the  Pharisees  said  unto  him,  Behold,  why  do  they 
on  the  sabbath  day  that  which  is  not  lawful?  And 
he  said  unto  them,  Did  ye  never  read  what  David 
did,  when  he  had  need,  and  was  hungry,  he,  and 
they  that  were  with  him?  How  he  entered  into  the 
house  of  God  when  Abiathar  was  high  priest,  and 
ate   the   showbread,    which   it   is   not   lawful   to   eat 

132 


THE  SOCIAL  TEST  OF  RELIGION        [IX-2] 

save  for  the  priests,  and  gave  also  to  them  that  were 
with  him?  And  he  said  unto  them,  The  sabbath 
was  made  for  man,  and  not  man  for  the  sabbath : 
so  that  the  Son  of  man  is  lord  even  of  the  sabbath. 
And  he  entered  again  into  the  synagogue;  and 
there  was  a  man  there  who  had  his  hand  withered. 
And  they  watched  him,  whether  he  would  heal  him 
on  the  sabbath  day;  that  they  might  accuse  him. 
And  he  saith  unto  the  man  that  had  his  hand  with- 
ered, Stand  forth.  And  he  saith  unto  them,  Is  it 
lawful  on  the  sabbath  day  to  do  good,  or  to  do 
harm?  to  save  a  life,  or  to  kill?  But  they  held  their 
peace.  And  when  he  had  looked  round  about  on 
them  with  anger,  being  grieved  at  the  hardening  of 
iheir  heart,  he  saith  unto  the  man,  Stretch  forth 
thy  hand.  And  he  stretched  it  forth;  and  his  hand 
was  restored. — Mark  2 :  23-3  :  5. 

The  Mosaic  law  intended  the  Sabbath  to  be  a  haven  of  rest 
for  all  who  were  driven,  the  slave,  the  immigrant,  even  the 
cattle.  It  was  a  precious  institution  of  social  protection. 
But  the  strict  religionists  of  Jesus'  time  had  made  a  yoke  of 
tyranny  of  it,  so  that  hungry  men  could  not  rub  the  kernels 
from  ears  of  grain  without  being  charged  with  threshing, 
and  Jesus  could  not  heal  a  poor  paralytic  without  getting 
black  looks.  A  fine  institution  of  social  welfare  and  relief 
had  been  turned  into  an  anti-social  regulation.  Jesus  fell 
back  on  the  fundamental  maxim  of  the  prophets,  "I  desire 
kindness  and  not  sacrifice,"  and  laid  down  the  principle  that 
"the  Sabbath  was  made  for  man,  and  not  man  for  the 
Sabbath."  The  religious  institution  of  the  Sabbath  must 
have  social  value;  this  is  the  essential  test  even  in  religion. 

Is  the  Sabbath  more  useful  to  society  now  than  in  Puritan 
times  ? 

From  which  do  we  suffer  more  today,  from  excessive 
strictness  or  excessive  looseness  in   Sabbath  observance? 

How  is  the  social  value  of  the  rest-day  frustrated  for  the 
working  class? 

133 


[IX-3]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

Third  Day:  Natural  Duty  above  Artificial 

And  the  Pharisees  and  the  scribes  ask  him,  Why 
walk  not  thy  disciples  according  to  the  tradition  of 
the  elders,  but  eat  their  bread  with  defiled  hands? 
And  he  said  unto  them,  Well  did  Isaiah  prophesy  of 
you  hypocrites,  as  it  is  written. 

This  people  honoreth  me  with  their  lips. 

But  their  heart  is  far  from  me. 

But  in  vain  do  they  worship  me, 

Teaching  as  their  doctrines  the  precepts  of  men. 

Ye  leave  the-  commandment  of  God,  and  hold  fast 
the  tradition  of  men.  And  he  said  unto  them.  Full 
well  do  ye  reject  the  commandment  of  God,  that 
ye  may  keep  your  tradition.  For  Moses  said,  Honor 
thy  father  and  thy  mother;  and,  He  that  speaketh 
evil  of  father  or  mother,  let  him  die  the  death: 
but  ye  say.  If  a  man  shall  say  to  his  father  or  his 
mother,  That  wherewith  thou  mightest  have  been 
profited  by  me  is  Corban,  that  is  to  say,  Given  to  God ; 
ye  no  longer  suffer  him  to  do  aught  for  his  father 
or  his  mother ;  making  void  the  word  of  God  by  your 
tradition,  which  ye  have  delivered :  and  many  such 
like  things  ye  do. — Mark  7:  5-13. 

Contemporary  Jewish  religion  was  full  of  taboos,  defile- 
ments, and  purifications.  Read  Mark  7:  1-23.  Jesus  was  so 
indifferent  about  the  religious  ablutions  that  he  was  brought 
to  book  for  it  by  the  pious.  He  replied  that  these  regula- 
tions were  not  part  of  the  divine  law,  but  later  accretions, 
the  product  of  theological  casuistry,  and  that  they  tended  to 
obscure  the  real  divine  duties.  He  cited  a  flagrant  case. 
By  eternal  and  divine  law  a  man  owes  love  and  support  to 
his  parents.  But  the  scribes  held  that  if  a  man  vowed  to 
give  money  to  the  temple,  this  obligation,  being  toward  God, 
superseded  the  obligation  to  his  parents,  which  was  merely 
human.  To  Jesus  this  seemed  a  perversion  of  religion- 
Ecclesiastical  claims  were  made  to  stifle  fundamental  social 
duty.  To  Jesus  the  latter  had  incomparably  higher  value. 
Religion  had  become  a  social  danger  through  such  teaching. 

134 


THE  SOCIAL  TEST  OF  RELIGION        [IX-4I 

Give  proof  from  modern  history  that  religious  institutions 
may  become  injurious  to  social  morality  and  welfare. 

Fourth  Day:  Religion  Which  Obscured  Duty 

Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites  1 
for  ye  tithe  mint  and  anise  and  cummin,  and  have 
left  undone  the  weightier  matters  of  the  law,  justice, 
and  mercy,  and  faith :  but  these  ye  ought  to  have 
done,  and  not  to  have  left  the  other  undone.  Ye 
blind  guides,  that  strain  out  the  gnat,  and  swallow 
the  camel  1 

Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites  1 
for  ye  cleanse  the  outside  of  the  cup  and  of  the 
platter,  but  within  they  are  full  from  extortion  and 
excess.  Thou  blind  Pharisee,  cleanse  first  the  inside 
of  the  cup  and  of  the  platter,  that  the  outside  thereof 
may  become  clean  also. — Matt.  23 :  23-26. 

Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites  1 
for  ye  compass  sea  and  land  to  make  one  proselyte; 
and  when  he  is  become  so,  ye  make  him  twofold 
more  a  son  of  hell  than  yourselves. — Matt.  23 :  15. 

The  great  invective  of  Jesus  against  the  scribes  and  Phari- 
tees  (Matthew  23)  deals  wholly  with  the  perversions  of 
religion.  In  these  verses  he  emphasizes  the  fact  that  the 
solemn  importance  attached  to  external  minutiae  turned  the 
attention  of  men  from  the  really  fundamental  spiritual  duties, 
such  as  justice,  mercy,  and  good  faith.  As  the  blood  was 
supposed  to  be  the  sacred  element  of  life,  it  had  to  be 
drained  off  in  butchering,  and  a  drowned  animal  could  not 
be  eaten.  Jesus  wittily  describes  the  Pharisee  filtering  out 
drowned  gnats  from  the  drinking  water,  but  bolting  some 
camel  of  a  sin  without  blinking.  The  outside  of  the  cup  was 
kept  scrupulously  scoured,  but  the  inside  was  filled  with  the 
products  of  rapacity  and  the  material  for  luxurious  excess. 
When  religion  had  become  of  such  a  sort,  even  missionary 
activity  became  an  actual  damage,  for  the  converts  were 
turned  into  fanatical  sticklers  on  trifles,    la  all  this  we  can 

135 


[IX-5]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

see  him  striking  out  for  a  kind  of  religion  that  would  result 
in  righteous  conduct  and  have  social  value. 

Have  we  had  any  experience  of  religion  which  obscured 
duty  to  us?  Have  zve  had  any  experience  of  religion  which 
revealed  duty  to  usf 

Fifth  Day:  Religious  Wonders  and  Social  Realities 

And  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees  came,  and  trying 
him  asked  him  to  show  them  a  sign  from  heaven. 
But  he  answered  and  said  unto  them,  When  it  is 
evening,  ye  say,  It  will  be  fair  weather :  for  the 
heaven  is  red.  And  in  the  morning.  It  will  be  foul 
weather  to-day :  for  the  heaven  is  red  and  lowering. 
Ye  know  how  to  discern  the  face  of  the  heaven;  but 
ye  cannot  discern  the  signs  of  the  times.  An  evil 
and  adulterous  generation  seeketh  after  a  sign;  and 
there  shall  no  sign  be  given  unto  it,  but  the  sign  of 
Jonah.  And  he  left  them,  and  departed. — Matt.  i6: 
1-4. 

This  demand  for  a  miracle  pursued  Jesus  all  through  his 
teaching  activity.  He  settled  with  it  on  principle  in  his  desert 
temptation;  he  would  not  leap  from  the  pinnacles  of  the 
temple,  or  do  anything  to  turn  his  work  into  a  holy  circus. 
But  the  demand  followed  him  to  his  death:  "If  thou  art  the 
Son  of  God,  come  down  from  the  cross."  A  good,  stunning 
miracle  seemed  a  short  cut  to  faith,  the  most  convincing  way 
of  furnishing  proof  of  his  divine  mission.  Also,  it  would  be 
mighty  interesting.  But  he  never  catered  to  the  demand. 
His  power  was  only  for  the  relief  of  suffering.  He  tried  to 
keep  his  acts  of  healing  private.  In  this  passage  he  advised 
his  opponents  to  use  their  intellect  in  more  useful  directions 
than  stargazing  for  signs  from  heaven.  They  were  weather- 
wise.  Let  them  read  the  signs  of  the  times.  Storms  were 
brewing  on  the  horizon.  Forty  years  later  Titus  destroyed 
Jerusalem  and  broke  the  back  of  the  Jewish  nation.  The 
prophetic  mind  of  Jesus  saw  it  coming    (Luke   19:  41-44). 

136 


THE  SOCIAL  TEST  OF  RELIGION        [IX-6] 

If  they  had  accepted  his  teaching  of  peace  instead  of  getting 
intoxicated  by  the  visions  of  revolutionary  apocalypticism, 
the  doom  might  have  been  averted.  He  was  trying  to  bring 
their  feet  to  the  ground,  turn  their  mind  to  realities,  and 
make  their  religion  socially  efficient. 

Would  the  sight  of  a  miracle  have  effected  a  moral  change 
in  a  Pharisee? 

How  would  religion  be  affected,  if  miraculous  demonstra- 
tions could  be  furnished  at  will? 

Sixth  Day:  When  Religion  Separates  Men 

And  as  Jesus  passed  by  from  thence,  he  saw  a  man, 
called  Matthew,  sitting  at  the  place  of  toll:  and  he 
saith  unto  him,  Follow  me.  And  he  arose,  and 
followed  him. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  sat  at  meat  in  the  house, 
behold,  many  publicans  and  sinners  came  and  sat 
down  with  Jesus  and  his  disciples.  And  when  the 
Pharisees  saw  it,  they  said  unto  his  disciples,  Why 
cateth  your  Teacher  with  the  publicans  and  sinners? 
But  when  he  heard  it,  he  said.  They  that  are  whole 
have  no  need  of  a  physician,  but  they  that  are  sick. 
But  go  ye  and  learn  what  this  meaneth,  I  desire 
mercy,  and  not  sacrifice :  for  I  came  not  to  call  the 
righteous,   but   sinners. — Matt.  9:   9-13. 

The  Jewish  community,  religious  at  the  core,  had  a  fringe 
of  people  who  had  failed  to  live  up  to  the  requirements  of 
the  Law.  They  came  under  the  condemnation  of  the  re- 
spectable people  and  of  their  own  conscience,  and  drifted 
into  the  despised  and  vicious  occupations.  These  were  the 
"pubHcans  and  sinners,"  the  "publicans  and  harlots,"  to  whom 
the  Gospels  refer.  A  socially  efficient  religion  would  have 
prompted  the  good  people  to  establish  loving  and  saving 
contact  with  these  people.  Actually  religion  so  accentuated 
the  social  divergence  that  the  Pharisees  were  shocked  when 
Jesus  mingled   in  a   friendly  way  with  this  class  and  even 

137 


[IX-7]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

added  one  of  them  to  his  traveling  companions.  The  para- 
bles of  the  lost  coin,  lost  sheep,  and  prodigal  son  were 
spoken  in  reply  to  the  slur,  "This  man  receiveth  sinners,  and 
eateth  with  them"  (Luke  15).  The  elder  brother  of  the 
prodigal  pictures  this  loveless  and  censorious  religion. 

Jesus  crossed  the  line  of  demarcation  and  established  social 
contact  and  friendliness,  through  which  salvation  could  come 
to  these  religious  derelicts.  He  quoted  again  the  old  saying 
of  the  prophets,  "I  desire  mercy,  and  not  sacrifice."  God 
was  not  as  much  concerned  about  correct  religious  per- 
formances as  the  Pharisees  thought,  and  a  great  deal  more 
concerned  about  mercy  for  the  fallen,  and  the  simple  human 
qualities  which  bring  the  strong  and  the  weak  together. 

What  experiences  have  we  had  of  refusal  to  associate? 
Was  the  cleavage  along  lines  of  race,  wealth,  education, 
morals,  or  religion? 

Has  religion  with  us  been  an  impulse  toward  men,  of 
away  from  men? 

Seventh  Day:  Be  Useful  or  Die 

And  he  spake  this  parable;  A  certain  man  had  a 
fig  tree  planted  in  his  vineyard ;  and  he  came  seek- 
ing fruit  thereon,  and  found  none.  And  he  said  unto 
the  vinedresser,  Behold,  these  three  years  I  come 
seeking  fruit  on  this  fig  tree,  and  find  none:  cut  it 
down;  why  doth  it  also  cumber  the  ground?  And 
he  answering  saith  unto  him,  Lord,  let  it  alone 
this  year  also,  till  I  shall  dig  about  it,  and  dung  it: 
and  if  it  bear  fruit  thenceforth,  well;  but  if  not,  thou 
shalt  cut  it  down. — Luke   13 :  6-9. 

Jesus  evidently  had  some  interest  in  scientific  agriculture. 
Both  the  owner  and  the  vine-dresser  in  this  parable  were  out 
for  agricultural  efficiency.  The  owner  hated  to  see  soil  and 
space  wasted ;  the  vine-dresser  was  reluctant  to  sacrifice  a 
tree,  and  proposed  better  tillage  and  more  fertilizer.  Taking 
this  parable  in  connection  with  what  precedes,  we  see  that 

138 


THE  SOCIAL  TEST  OF  RELIGION        [IX-s] 

Jesus  was  concerned  about  the  future  of  his  nation  and  its 
religion.  Both  would  have  to  validate  their  right  to  exist; 
God  could  not  have  them  cumber  the  ground.  They  must 
make  good.  This  is  the  stern  urge  of  the  God  whom  we  know 
in  history  and  evolution,  with  the  voice  of  Christ  pleading 
for  patience.  But  it  is  agreed  between  them  that  ultimately 
the  law  of  fitness  must  rule.  Religion  can  not  bank  on  claims 
of  antiquity  alone.  Every  generation  must  find  it  newly  effi- 
cient to  create  the  social  virtues  then  needed.  Remember  that 
this  was  spoken  by  a  Jewish  patriot  and  the  supreme  exponent 
of  the  Hebrew  religion. 

Give  historical  instances  of  the  permanent  downfall  or 
decline  of  nations.  Trace  the  connection  between  their  fate 
and  their  religion. 

Study  for  the  Week 

Jesus  Christ  was  the  founder  of  the  highest  religion;  he 
was  himself  the  purest  religious  spirit  known  to  us.  Why, 
then,  was  he  in  opposition  to  religion?  The  clash  between 
him  and  the  representatives  of  organized  religion  was  not 
occasional  or  superficial.  It  ran  through  his  whole  activity, 
was  one  of  the  dominant  notes  in  his  teaching,  culminated  in 
the  great  spiritual  duel  between  him  and  the  Jewish  hierarchy 
in  the  last  days  at  Jerusalem,  and  led  directly  to  his  crucifixion. 


The  opposition  of  Jesus  was  not,  of  course,  against  religion 
itself,  but  against  religion  as  he  found  it.  It  was  not  directed 
against  any  departure  from  the  legitimate  order  of  the  priest- 
hood ;  nor  against  an  improper  ritual  or  wrong  doctrine  of 
sacrifices.  In  fact,  it  did  not  turn  on  any  of  the  issues  which 
were  of  such  importance  to  the  Church  in  later  times.  He 
criticized  the  most  earnest  religious  men  of  his  day  because 
their  religion  harmed  men  instead  of  helping  them.  It  was 
unsocial,  or  anti-social. 

139 


[IX-s]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

The  Old  Testament  prophets  also  were  in  opposition  to  the 
priestly  system  of  their  time  because  it  used  up  the  religious 
interest  of  the  people  in  ceremonial  performances  without 
ethical  outcome.  It  diverted  spiritual  energy,  by  substi- 
tuting lower  religious  requirements  for  the  one  fundamental 
thing  which  God  required — righteousness  in  social  and  polit- 
ical life.  They  insisted  over  and  over  that  Jehovah  wants 
righteousness  and  wants  nothing  else.  Their  aim  was  to 
make  religion  and  ethics  one  and  inseparable.  They  struck 
for  the   social   efficiency  of   religion. 

At  the  time  of  Jesus  the  Jewish  sacrifices  had  lost  much 
of  their  religious  importance.  During  the  Exile  they  had 
lapsed.  They  were  professional  performances  of  one  class. 
The  numerous  Jews  scattered  in  other  countries  perhaps  saw 
the  temple  once  in  a  lifetime.  Modern  feeling  in  the  first 
century  was  against  bloody  sacrifices.  The  recorded  sayings 
of  Jesus  hardly  mention  them.  On  the  other  hand  the  daily 
life  of  the  people  was  pervaded  by  little  prescribed  religious 
actions.  The  Sabbath  with  its  ritual  was  punctiliously 
observed.^  There  were  frequent  days  of  fasting,  religious 
ablutions  and  baths,  long  prayers  to  be  recited  several  times 
daily,  with  prayer  straps  around  the  arm  and  forehead,  and 
a  tasseled  cloth  over  the  head.  The  exact  performance  of 
these  things  seemed  an  essential  part  of  religion  to  the  most 
earnest  men. 

We  have  seen  how  Jesus  collided  with  these  religious 
requirements  and  on  what  grounds.  If  men  were  deeply 
concerned  about  the  taboo  food  that  went  into  their  bodies, 
they  would  not  be  concerned  about  the  evil  thoughts  that 
arose  in  their  souls.  If  they  were  taught  to  focus  on  petty 
duties,  such  as  tithing,  the  great  ethical  principles  and  obliga- 
tions moved  to  the  outer  field  of  vision  and  became  blurred. 
The  Sabbath,  which  had  originated  in  merciful  purpose 
toward  the  poor,  had  been  turned  into  another  burden. 
Religion,  which  ought  to  bring  good  men  into  saving  contact 


lEdersheim,  "Life  and  Times  of  Jesus,  the  Messiah,"  Appendix  XVII,  give 
•  detailed  account  of  Sabbath  regulations. 

140 


THE  SOCIAL  TEST  OF  RELIGION        [IX-s] 

with  the  wayward  by  love,  actually  resulted  in  separating  the 
two  by  a  chasm  of  religious  pride  and  censoriousness.  A  man- 
made  and  artificial  religious  performance,  such  as  giving 
toward  the  support  of  the  temple,  crowded  aside  fundamental 
obligations  written  deep  in  the  constitution  of  human  society, 
such  as  filial  reverence  and  family  solidarity. 

Other  reformers  have  condemned  religious  practices  be- 
cause they  were  departures  from  the  holy  Book  or  from 
primitive  custom.  Jesus,  too,  pointed  out  that  some  of  these 
regulations  were  recent  innovations.  But  the  real  standard 
by  which  he  judged  current  religious  questions  was  not 
ancient  authority  but  the  present  good  of  men.  The  spiritual 
center  on  which  he  took  his  stand  and  from  which  he  judged 
all  things,  was  the  Kingdom  of  God,  the  perfect  social  order. 
Even  the  ordinances  of  religion  must  justify  themselves  by 
making  an  effective  contribution  to  the  Kingdom  of  God. 
The  Sabbath  was  made  for  man,  and  its  observance  must 
meet  the  test  of  service  to  man's  welfare.  It  must  function 
wholesomely.  The  candle  must  give  light,  or  what  is  the 
use  of  it?  The  salt  must  be  salty  and  preserve  from  decay, 
or  it  will  be  thrown  out  and  trodden  under  foot.  If  the 
fig-tree  bears  no  fruit,  why  is  it  allowed  to  use  up  space  and 
crowd  better  plants  off  the  soil?  This,  then,  is  Christ's  test 
in  matters  of  institutional  religion.  The  Church  and  all 
its  doings  must  serve  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

II 

The  social  efficiency  of  religion  is  a  permanent  social 
problem.  What  is  the  annual  expense  of  maintaining  the 
churches  in  the  United  States?  How  much  capital  is  in- 
vested in  the  church  buildings?  (See  U.  S.  Census  Bulletin 
No.  103,  of  1906.)  How  much  care  and  interest  and  loving 
free-will  labor  does  an  average  village  community  bestow 
on  religion  as  compared  with  other  objects?  All  men  feel 
instinctively  that  religion  exerts  a  profound  and  subtle  in- 
fluence on  the  springs  of  conduct.    Even  those  who  denounce 

141 


[IX-s]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

it,  acknowledge  at  least  its  power  for  harm.  Most  of  us 
know  it  as  a  power  for  good.  But  all  history  shows  that  this 
great  spiritual  force  easily  deteriorates.  Corruptio  optimi 
pessima. 

Religion  may  develop  an  elaborate  social  apparatus  of  its 
own,  wheels  within  wheels,  and  instead  of  being  a  dynamic 
of  righteousness  in  the  natural  social  relations  of  men,  its 
energies  may  be  consumed  in  driving  its  own  machinery. 
Instead  of  being  the  power-house  supplying  the  Kingdom  of 
God  among  men  with  power  and  light,  the  Church  may 
exist  for  its  own  sake.  It  then  may  become  an  expensive 
consumer  of  social  wealth,  a  conservative  clog,  and  a  real 
hindrance  of  social  progress. 

Live  religion  gives  proof  of  its  value  by  the  sense  of 
freedom,  peace,  and  elation  which  it  creates.  We  feel  we 
are  right  with  the  holy  Power  which  is  behind,  and  beneath, 
and  above  all  things.  It  gives  a  satisfying  interpretation  of 
life  and  of  our  own  place  in  it.  It  moves  our  aims  higher 
up,  draws  our  fellow-men  closer,  and  invigorates  our  will. 

But  our  growth  sets  a  problem  for  our  religion.  The 
religion  of  childhood  will  not  satisfy  adolescent  youth,  and 
the  religion  of  youth  ought  not  to  satisfy  a  mature  man 
or  woman.  Our  soul  must  build  statelier  mansions  for  itself. 
Religion  must  continue  to  answer  all  our  present  needs  and 
inspire  all  our  present  functions.  A  person  who  has  failed 
to  adjust  his  religion  to  his  growing  powers  and  his  intel- 
lectual horizon,  has  failed  in  one  of  the  most  important 
functions  of  growth,  just  as  if  his  cranium  failed  to  expand 
and  to  give  room  to  his  brain.  Being  microcephalous  is  a 
misfortune,  and  nothing  to  boast  of. 

Precisely  the  same  problem  arises  when  society  passes 
through  eras  of  growth.  Religion  must  keep  pace.  The 
Church  must  pass  the  burning  torch  of  religious  experience 
from  age  to  age,  transmitting  the  faith  of  the  fathers  to 
the  children,  and  not  allowing  any  spiritual  values  to  perish. 
But  it  must  allow  and  aid  religion  to  adjust  itself.  Its 
inspiring   teaching  must  meet   the   new   social   problems    so 

142 


THE  SOCIAL  TEST  OF  RELIGION        [IX-s] 

effectively  that  no  evil  can  last  long  or  grow  beyond  remedy. 
In  every  new  age  religion  must  stand  the  test  of  social 
efficiency.     Is  it  passing  that  test  in  Western  civilization? 

Religion  is  a  bond  of  social  coherence.  It  creates  loyalty. 
But  it  may  teach  loyalty  to  antiquated  observances  or  a 
dwarfed  system  of  truth.  Have  you  ever  seen  believers  rally- 
ing around  a  lost  cause  in  religion?  Yet  these  relics  were 
once  a  live  issue,  and  full  of  thriUing  religious  vitality. 

Society  changes.  Will  religion  change  with  it?  If  society 
passes  from  agriculture  and  rural  settlements  to  industry 
and  urban  conditions,  can  the  customary  practices  of  religion 
remain  unchanged?  Give  some  instances  where  prescientific 
conceptions  of  the  universe,  embodied  in  religion,  have 
blocked  the  spread  of  scientific  knowledge  among  the  people. 
The  caste  distinctions  of  Hinduism  were  the  product  of  a 
combination  between  religion  and  the  social  organization  of 
the  people;  can  they  last  when  industrialism  and  democracy 
are  pervading  India?  The  clerical  attitude  of  authority  was 
natural  when  the  Catholic  clergy  were  the  only  educated  class 
in  the  community;  is  it  justified  today?  Protestantism  won 
the  allegiance  of  industrial  communities  when  the  young 
business  class  was  struggling  to  emancipate  itself  from  the 
feudal  system.  It  developed  an  individualistic  philosophy  of 
ethics.  Today  society  tends  toward  solidaristic  organization. 
How  will  that  affect  religion  and  its  scheme  of  duty?  Thus 
religion,  by  its  very  virtues  of  loyalty  and  reverence,  may 
fall  behind  and  lose  its  full  social  efficiency.  It  must  be 
geared  to  the  big  live  issues  of  today  if  it  is  to  manifest  its 
full  saving  energies. 

How  does  this  problem  of  the  efficiency  of  religion  bear 
on  the  foreign  missionary  movement?  How  will  backward 
or  stationary  civilizations  be  affected  by  the  introduction  of 
a  modern  and  enthusiastic  religion? 

We  may  feel  the  defects  of  our  church  life  at  home,  but 
there  is  no  doubt  that  the  young  men  and  women  who  go 
out  from  our  colleges  under  religious  impulses,  are  felt  as 
a  virile  and  modernizing  force  when  they  settle  to  their  work 

143 


[IX-s]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

in  Turkey  or  Persia.  Christian  educational  institutions  and 
medical  missions  have  raised  the  intellectual  and  humane 
standards  of  young  China.  Buddhism  in  Japan  has  felt  the 
challenge  of  competition  and  is  readjusting  its  ethics  and 
philosophy  to  connect  with  modern  social  ideals.  The  his- 
torical efifects  of  our  religious  colonization  will  not  mature 
for  several  generations,  but  they  are  bound  to  be  very  great. 
The  nations  and  races  are  drawing  together.  They  need  a 
monotheistic  religion  as  a  spiritual  basis  for  their  sense  of 
human  unity.  This  is  a  big,  modern,  social  task.  It  makes 
its  claim  on  men  and  women  who  have  youth,  education,  and 
spiritual  power.  Is  the  religious  life  of  our  colleges  and 
universities  efficient  enough  to  meet  the  need? 

Here  are  the  enormous  tasks  of  international  relations, 
which  the  Great  War  has  forced  us  to  realize — the  preven- 
tion of  armed  conflicts,  the  elimination  of  the  irritant  causes 
of  war,  the  protection  of  the  small  nations  which  possess 
what  the  big  nations  covet,  the  freedom  of  the  seas  as  the 
common  highway  of  God,  fair  and  free  interchange  in  com- 
merce without  any  effort  to  set  up  monopoly  rights  and  the 
privilege  of  extortionate  gain,  the  creation  of  an  institu- 
tional basis  for  a  great  family  of  nations  in  days  to  come. 
These  are  some  of  the  tasks  which  the  men  and  women  who 
are  now  young  must  take  on  their  mind  and  conscience  for 
life,  and  leave  to  their  children  to  finish.  What  contributions, 
in  your  opinion,  could  the  spirit  of  the  Christian  religion 
make  to  such  a  program,  if  it  were  realized  intelligently  and 
pressed  home  through  the  agencies  of  the  Christian  Church? 
In  what  ways  has  American  religion  shown  its  efficiency  since 
the  war  broke  out? 

Christianity  has  been  a  great  power  in  our  country  to 
cleanse  and  fraternalize  the  social  life  of  simple  communities. 
Can  it  meet  the  complex  needs  of  modern  industrialism  in 
the  same  way?  It  can  not  truthfully  be  claimed  that  it  has 
done  so  in  any  industrial  country.  Its  immense  spiritual 
forces  mignt  be  the  decisive  element,  but  they  have  been 
effectively  organized  against  a  few  only  of  the  great  modern 

144 


THE  SOCIAL  TEST  OF  RELIGION        [IX-s] 

evils.  On  the  fundamental  ethical  questions  of  capitalism 
the  Church  has  not  yet  made  up  its  own  mind — not  to  speak 
of  enforcing  the  mind  of  Christ.  Nor  have  the  specialists 
in  the  universities  and  colleges  supplied  the  leaders  of  the 
Church  with  clear  information  and  guidance  on  these  ques- 
tions. We  can  not  make  much  permanent  progress  toward 
a  just  social  order  as  long  as  the  masses  of  the  working 
people  in  the  industrial  nations  continue  in  economic  poverty 
and  political  helplessness,  and  as  long  as  a  minority  controls 
the  land,  the  tools,  and  the  political  power.  We  shall 
linger  on  the  borders  of  the  Inferno  until  a  new  accession 
of  moral  insight  and  spiritual  power  comes  to  the  nations. 
How  will  it  come? 

Ill 

What  could  the  churches  in  an  average  village  community 
accomplish  if  they  intelligently  directed  the  power  of  religion 
to  foster  the  sense  of  fraternal  unity  and  to  promote  the 
institutions  which  make  for  unity?  How  could  they  draw  the 
new,  the  strange,  and  the  irregular  families  into  the  circle  of 
neighborly  feeling?  In  what  way  could  they  help  to  assimi- 
late immigrants  and  to  prevent  the  formation  of  several 
communities  in  the  same  section,  overlapping,  alien,  and  per- 
haps hostile?  How  would  it  affect  the  recreational  situation 
if  the  churches  took  a  constructive  rather  than  a  prohibitive 
attitude  toward  amusements,  and  if  they  promoted  the  socia- 
bility of  the  community  rather  than  that  of  church  groups? 

With  the  rise  of  land  prices  and  the  control  of  transpor- 
tation and  markets,  the  rural  population  is  moving  toward 
a  social  crisis  like  that  which  transformed  the  urban  popu- 
lation in  the  industrial  revolution.  Agriculture  will  become 
capitalistic,  and  the  weaker  families  will  drop  to  the  position 
of  tenants  and  agricultural  laborers.  Cooperation  is  their 
way  of  salvation.  Its  effectiveness  has  been  amply  demon- 
strated in  older  countries.  It  requires  a  strong  sense  of 
solidarity,  loyalty,  and  good  faith  to  succeed.  It  has  made 
so  little  headway  in  America  because  our  national  character 

145 


[IX-s]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

has  not  been  developed  in  these  directions.  What  could  the 
churches  do  to  save  the  weaker  families  from  social  sub- 
mergence by  backing  cooperation  and  developing  the  moral 
qualities  needed  for  it? 

The  strong  rehgious  life  of  our  people  might  be  more 
effective  if  the  churches  were  less  divided.  Their  economic 
and  human  resources  are  partly  wasted  by  useless  com- 
petition. Our  denominational  divisions  are  nearly  all  an 
historical  heritage,  imported  from  Europe,  and  coming  down 
from  a  controversial  age.  Their  issues  all  meant  something 
vital  and  socially  important  in  the  midst  of  the  social  order 
of  that  day;  but  in  many  cases  the  real  significance  has 
quietly  crumbled  away,  and  they  are  not  really  the  same 
issues  that  deeply  engaged  our  forefathers.  We  are  all 
"tithing  mint,  anise,  and  cummin,"  and  forgetting  the  weighty 
matters,  such  as  social  justice  and  Christian  fraternity.  Every- 
body is  ready  to  acknowledge  this  about  every  denomination 
except  his  own.  We  need  a  revaluation  of  our  religious 
issues  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  Kingdom  of  God. 
That  would  bring  us  into  harmony  with  the  judgment  of 
Jesus.     Nothing  else  will. 

IV 

The  social  efficiency  of  religion — what  call  is  there  in  that 
to  the  college  men  and  women  of  this  generation?  Shall 
they  cease  to  worship  and  pray,  seek  the  salvation  of  society 
in  ethics  and  sociology,  and  abandon  religion  to  stagnation? 
Or  shall  they  seek  a  new  experience  of  religion  in  full 
sight  of  the  modern  world,  and  work  by  faith  toward  that 
reign  of  God  in  which  his  will  shall  be  done? 

Suggestions  for  Thought  and  Discussion 

I.    When  the  Salt  Loses  its  Savor 

I.    What  is  the  individual  to  do  when  religion  becomes 
a  hindrance  to  religion? 

145 


THE  SOCIAL  TEST  OF  RELIGION        [IX-i] 

2.  What  types  of  revolt  against  inherited  religion  have 
you  met  in  college? 

II.  Prophetic  Religion  Against  Traditional  Religion 

1.  What  did  the  prophets  criticize  in  the  religion  of 
their  day? 

2.  What  was  Jesus'  test  of  religion? 

3.  Give  instances  in  which  he  found  religion  to  be  a 
hindrance  to  the  highest  welfare.  How  did  religion  obscure 
duty? 

4.  What  was  the  essential  cause  of  the  clash  between 
Jesus  and  the  religious  leaders  of  his  day? 

III.  The  Historic  Reformation  of  Religion 

1.  In  studying  history,  what  sins  or  failures  of  the 
Church  have  impressed  you  most? 

2.  What  did  the  Protestant  Reformation  contribute  to 
make  religion  efficient? 

3.  Has  the  Church  been  a  rival  or  a  feeder  of  the  King- 
dom of  God? 

4.  Give  historical  examples  of  the  failure  of  religion 
to  meet  the  changed  requirements  of  a  new  epoch. 

5.  What  contributions  has  the  Church  made  to  social 
progress? 

IV.  Religion  Today 

1.  What  have  Christian  missions  done  to  change  the 
social  conditions  in  non-Christian  countries? 

2.  How  do  you  rate  the  social  service  value  of  a  first- 
class  minister  in  a  community?  On  what  does  his  value 
depend? 

3.  Of  what  social  value  to  a  community  is  a  costly  and 
beautiful  church  building? 

4.  What  investment  in  capital  and  annual  expenditure 
does  the  maintenance  of  the  churches  in  your  community 

147 


[IX-s]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

entail?     Does  the  social  return  to  the  community  justify 
the  investment? 

5.  Are  the  issues  which  divided  the  Protestant  denom- 
inations in  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries  still 
vital  enough  to  justify  the  continuance  of  the  divisions? 
Summarize  the  evils  of  the  divisions  and  their  counter- 
balancing good. 

6.  Is  the  ordinary  criticism  of  the  churches  fair?  Are 
ministers  overpaid  or  underpaid?  Do  the  churches  graft? 
How  do  the  churches  compare  in  social  efficiency  with  other 
similar  social  institutions? 

V.    For  Special  Discussion 

1.  Why  did  the  reformation  of  the  Church  historically 
precede  the  reform  of  politics  and  industry? 

2.  Do  the  unsolved  social  problems  of  Christian  nations 
prove  the  social  inefficiency  of  religion?  Could  religion 
alone  change  the  maladjustment  of  society? 

3.  Why  has  religion  been  more  effective  in  the  field  of 
private  life  than  of  pubhc  life? 

4.  If  you  had  full  control  of  the  churches  in  a  given 
country  or  village  community,  on  what  aims  would  you 
concentrate  their  forces? 


148 


PART  IV 
CONQUEST  BY  CONFLICT 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  CONFLICT  WITH  EVIL 

The  Kingdom  of  God  Will  Have  to  Fight  for  Its 
Advance 

The  great  objective  is  the  Kingdom  of  God,  In  realizing 
the  Reign  of  God  on  earth  three  recalcitrant  forces  have 
to  be  brought  into  obedience  to  God's  law :  the  desire  for 
power,  the  love  of  property,  and  unsocial  religion.  We  have 
studied  Christ's  thought  concerning  these  in  the  foregoing 
chapters.  The  advance  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  not  simply 
a  process  of  social  education,  but  a  conflict  with  hostile  forces 
which  resist,  neutralize,  and  defy  whatever  works  toward 
the  true  social  order.  The  strategy  of  the  Kingdom  of  God, 
therefore,  involves  a  study  of  the  social  problem  of  evil. 

Daily  Readings 

First  Day  :  The  Consciousness  of  Sin  in  the  Lord's  Prayer 

And  forgive  us  our  debts,  as  we  also  have  for- 
given our  debtors.  And  bring  us  not  into  tempta- 
tion, but  deliver  us  from  the  evil  one. — Matt.  6 :  12,  13. 

The  Lord's  Prayer  expresses  the  very  mind  and  spirit  of 
the  Master.  It  begins  with  the  Kingdom  of  God;  it  ends 
with  the  problem  of  sin.  As  we  stand  before  God,  we  realize 
that  we  have  loaded  up  our  life  with  debts  we  can  never 
pay.  We  have  wasted  our  time,  and  the  powers  of  body 
and  soul.  We  have  left  black  marks  of  contagion  on  some 
whose  path  we  have  crossed.  We  have  hurt  even  those  who 
loved  us  by  our  ill-temper,  thoughtlessness,  and  selfishness. 

ISI 


[X-2]      THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

We  can  only  ask  God  to  forgive  and  give  us  another  chance; 
"Forgive  us  our  debts."  Looking  forv^^ard  we  see  the  pos- 
sibility of  fatal  temptations.  We  know  how  fragile  our 
power  of  resistance  is.  "Lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but 
deliver  us  from  evil."  Thus  the  consciousness  of  sin  is  writ- 
ten across  this  greatest  of  all  prayers. 

Is  a  sense  of  unworthiness  an  indication  of  moral  strength 
or  of  weakness? 

Where  do  we  draw  the  line  between  a  normal  and  abnor- 
mal sense  of  sin? 

Second  Day:  Evil  Embodied  in  Character 

Either  make  the  tree  good,  and  its  fruit  good;  or 
make  the  tree  corrupt,  and  its  fruit  corrupt:  for  the 
tree  is  known  by  its  fruit.  Ye  offspring  of  vipers, 
how  can  ye,  being  evil,  speak  good  things?  for  out 
of  the  abundance  of  the  heart  the  mouth  speaketh. 
The  good  man  out  of  his  good  treasure  bringeth 
forth  good  things :  and  the  evil  man  out  of  his  evil 
treasure  bringeth  forth  evil  things.  And  I  say  unto 
you,  that  every  idle  word  that  men  shall  speak,  they 
shall  give  account  thereof  in  the  day  of  judgment. 
For  by  thy  words  thou  shalt  be  justified,  and  by  thy 
words  thou  shalt  be  condemned. — Matt.  12:  2y27- 

Character  is  formed  by  action,  but  after  it  is  formed,  it 
determines  action.  What  a  man  says  and  does,  he  becomes; 
and  what  he  has  become,  he  says  and  does.  An  honest  and 
clean-minded  man  instinctively  does  what  is  kind  and  honor- 
able. But  when  a  man  for  years  has  gone  for  profit  and 
selfish  power,  you  can  trust  him  as  a  general  thing  to  do  what 
is  underhanded  and  mean.  Since  selfish  ability  elbows  its 
way  to  controlling  positions  in  business,  politics,  and  society, 
the  character  reactions  of  such  men  are  a  force  with  which 
the  Kingdom  of  God  must  reckon.  They  are  the  personal 
equipment  of  the  kingdom  of  evil,  and  the  more  respectable, 
well-dressed,  and  clever  they  are,  the  worse  it  is. 

152 


THE  CONFLICT  WITH  EVIL  [X-3] 

What  man  or  woman  of  our  acquaintance  would  we  single 
«ut  as  the  clearest  case  of  an  evil  character? 
Why  do  we  so  judge  him? 

Third  Day:  The  Social  Pressure  of  Evil 

And  he  said  unto  his  disciples,  It  is  impossible  but 
that  occasions  of  stumbling  should  come;  but  woe 
unto  him,  through  whom  they  come  1  It  were  well 
for  him  if  a  millstone  were  hanged  about  his  neck, 
and  he  were  thrown  into  the  sea,  rather  than  that 
he  should  cause  one  of  these  little  ones  to  stumble. — 
Luke  17:  I,  2. 

A  sex  story  lodging  in  a  young  mind,  an  invitation  to 
companionship  and  a  drink,  a  sneer  at  religion  which  makes 
faith  look  silly — such  things  trip  us  up.  They  are  stumbling- 
blocks,  like  wires  stretched  across  a  path  in  the  dark.  Just 
because  we  are  social  and  easily  influenced  by  friendship, 
admiration,  or  persuasion,  one  man's  suggestion  or  example 
draws  the  other  man  on,  Jesus  knew  that  social  solicitation 
and  pressure  toward  sin  was  inevitable.  It  is  the  price  we 
pay  for  our  social  nature.  But,  all  the  same,  it  is  a  terrible 
"thing  to  contaminate  a  soul  or  steer  a  life  toward  its  ruin. 
This  saying  about  the  millstone  is  one  of  the  sternest  words 
ever  uttered. 

"Three  men  went  out  one  summer  night, 
No  care  they  had  or  aim, 
And  dined  and  drank.     'Ere  we  go  home 
We'll  have,'  they  said,  *a  game.' 

Three  girls  began  that  summer  night 

A  life  of  endless  shame. 

And  went  through  drink,  disease,  and  death, 

As  swift  as  racing  flame. 

Lawless  and  homeless,    foul  they  died; 

Rich,  loved,  and  praised  the  men; 

But  when  they  all  shall  meet  with  God, 

And  justice  speaks — what  then?" 

153 


[X-4]       THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

Let  us  enumerate  to  our  own  minds  cases  where  others 
drew  us  into  wrong,  and  cases  where  we  were  a  cause  of 
evil  for  others.    About  which  do  we  feel  sorest  now?    Why? 

Fourth  Day:  Moral  Laziness 

No  man  having  drunk  old  wine  desireth  new;  for 
he  saith,  The  old  is  good. — Luke  5 :  39. 

This  is  a  chance  remark,  but  a  keen  observation.  In  wine- 
raising  countries  an  expert  tongue  and  nice  discrimination 
between  the  fifty-seven  varieties  is  one  of  the  most  coveted 
talents.  A  man  who  would  prefer  some  recent  stuff  to  the 
celebrated  vintage  of  18 — ,  would  commit  intellectual  hara- 
kiri.  It  is  said  that  in  some  of  the  celebrated  vaults  of 
France  they  breed  spiders  to  cover  the  bottles  with  webs 
and  dust  to  convey  the  delicious  suggestion  of  antiquity. 
Jesus  uses  the  preference  for  old  vintage  to  characterize  the 
conservative  instinct  in  human  nature.  This  is  one  of  the 
stickiest  impediments  to  progress,  one  of  the  most  respectable 
forms  of  evil-mindedness.  "The  hereditary  tiger  is  in  us  all, 
also  the  hereditary  oyster  and  clam.  Indifference  is  the 
largest  factor,  though  not  the  ugliest  form,  in  the  produc- 
tion of  evil"  (President  Hyde).  Men  are  morally  lazy; 
they  have  to  be  pushed  into  what  is  good  for  them,  and  the 
"pushee"  is  almost  sure  to  resent  the  pushing.  The  idea  that 
men  ardently  desire  what  is  rational  and  noble  is  pernicious 
fiction.  They  want  to  be  let  alone.  This  is  part  of  original 
sin. 

Was  the  above  written  in  haste,  or  will  it  stand? 

Fifth  Day:  Satanic  Frustration  of  Good 

Another  parable  set  he  before  them,  saying,  The 
kingdom  of  heaven  is  likened  unto  a  man  that  sowed 
good  seed  in  his  field :  but  while  men  slept,  his  enemy 
came  and  sowed  tares  also  among  the  wheat,  and 

154 


THE  CONFLICT  WITH  EVIL  [X-s] 

went  away.  But  when  the  blade  sprang  up  and 
brought  forth  fruit,  then  appeared  the  tares  also. 
And  the  servants  of  the  householder  came  and  said 
unto  him,  Sir,  didst  thou  not  sow  good  seed  in  thy 
field?  whence  then  hath  it  tares?  And  he  said  unto 
them.  An  enemy  hath  done  this.  And  the  servants 
say  unto  him,  Wilt  thou  then  that  we  go  and  gather 
them  up  ?  But  he  saith,  Nay ;  lest  haply  while  ye 
gather  up  the  tares,  ye  root  up  the  wheat  with  them. 
Let  both  grow  together  until  the  harvest :  and  in 
the  time  of  the  harvest  I  will  say  to  the  reapers. 
Gather  up  first  the  tares,  and  bind  them  in  bundles 
to  burn  them;  but  gather  the  wheat  into  my  barn. — 
Matt,  13:  24-30. 

Here  we  encounter  the  devil.  There  is  more  in  sin  than 
our  own  frailty  and  stupidity,  and  the  bad  influence  of  other 
individuals.  There  is  a  permanent  force  of  organized  evil 
which  vitiates  every  higher  movement  and  sows  tares  among 
the  grain  over  night.  You  work  hard  on  some  law  to  re- 
form the  ballot  or  the  primary  in  order  to  protect  the  free- 
dom and  rights  of  the  people,  and  after  three  years  your 
device  has  become  a  favorite  tool  of  the  interests.  You 
found  a  benevolent  institution,  and  after  you  are  dead  it  be- 
comes a  nest  of  graft.  Even  the  Church  of  Jesus  was  for 
centuries  so  corrupt  that  all  good  men  felt  its  reform  in 
head  and  members  to  be  the  greatest  desideratum  in  Chris- 
tendom. Evil  is  more  durable  and  versatile  than  youth  and 
optimism  imagine.  The  belief  in  a  satanic  power  of  evil  ex- 
presses the  conviction  of  the  permanent  power  of  evil.  In 
early  Christianity  the  belief  in  the  devil  was  closely  con- 
nected with  the  Christian  opposition  to  the  idolatrous  and 
wicked  social  order  of  heathenism.  In  the  Apocalypse  the 
dragon  who  stands  for  Satan,  and  the  beasts  who  stand  for 
the  despotic  Roman  Empire,  are  in  close  alliance. 

What  are  the  satanic  social  forces  today? 
The  parable  of  the  tares  grew  out  of  a  personal  experience. 
Has  our  observation  ever  furnished  anything  similar? 

155 


[X-6]       THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

Sixth  Day:  The  Irrepressible  Conflict 

Think  not  that  I  came  to  send  peace  on  the  earth: 
I  came  not  to  send  peace,  but  a  sword.  For  I  came 
to  set  a  man  at  variance  against  his  father,  and  the 
daughter  against  her  mother,  and  the  daughter  in  law 
against  her  mother  in  law :  and  a  man's  foes  shall  be 
they  of  his  own  household.  He  that  loveth  father 
or  mother  more  than  me  is  not  worthy  of  me;  and 
he  that  loveth  son  or  daughter  more  than  me  is  not 
worthy  of  me.  And  he  that  doth  not  take  his  cross 
and  follow  after  me,  is  not  worthy  of  me.  He  that 
findeth  his  life  shall  lose  it;  and  he  that  loseth  his 
life  for  my  sake  shall  find  it. — Matt.  lo:  34-39- 

Into  a  world  controlled  by  sin  was  launched  the  life  of 
Christ.  The  more  completely  he  embodied  the  divine  char- 
acter and  will,  the  more  certain  and  intense  would  be  the 
conflict  between  him  and  the  powers  dominating  the  old 
order.  He  accepted  this  fight,  not  only  for  himself  but  for 
his  followers.  It  would  follow  them  up  into  the  intimacies 
of  their  homes.  Any  faith  that  takes  the  Kingdom  of  God 
seriously,  has  its  fight  cut  out  for  it.  Unless  we  accept  our 
share  of  it,  we  are  playing  with  our  discipleship.  But  when 
the  fight  is  for  the  Kingdom  of  God,  those  who  dodge,  lose; 
and  those  who  lose,  win. 

Which  involves  more  conflict,  a  life  set  on  the  Kingdom 
of  God  on  earth,  or  a  faith  set  on  the  life  to  come? 
Does  the  idea  of  a  fighting  faith  attract  us? 
Would  this  serve  as  a  "substitute  for  war"? 

Seventh  Day:  Militant  Gentleness 

But  I  say  unto  you.  Love  your  enemies,  and  pray 
for  them  that  persecute  you;  that  ye  may  be  sons 
of  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven :  for  he  maketh  his 
sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  the  good,  and  sendeth 
rain  on  the  just  and  the  unjust. — Matt.  5:  44,  45. 

Render  to  no  man  evil  for  evil.  Take  thought 
for  things  honorable  in  the  sight  of  all  men.  But 
156 


THE  CONFLICT  WITH  EVIL  [X-s] 

if  thine  enemy  hunger,  feed  him;  if  he  thirst,  give 
him  to  drink :  for  in  so  doing  thou  shalt  heap  coals 
of  fire  upon  his  head.  Be  not  overcome  of  evil,  but 
overcome  evil  with  good. — Rom.  12:  17,  20,  21. 

Jesus  answered,  My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world: 
if  my  kingdom  were  of  this  world,  then  would  my 
servants  fight,  that  I  should  not  be  delivered  to  the 
Jews :  but  now  is  my  kingdom  not  from  hence.  Pilate 
therefore  said  unto  him,  Art  thou  a  king  then?  Jesus 
answered,  Thou  sayest  that  I  am  a  king.  To  this 
end  have  I  been  born,  and  to  this  end  am  I  come 
into  the  world,  that  I  should  bear  witness  unto  the 
truth.  Every  one  that  is  of  the  truth  heareth  my 
voice. — John  18:  36,  2>7- 

When  we  call  out  the  militant  spirit  in  religion,  we  sum- 
mon a  dangerous  power.  It  has  bred  grimness  and  cruelty. 
Crusaders  and  inquisitors  did  their  work  in  the  name  of 
Jesus,  but  not  in  his  spirit.  We  must  saturate  ourselves  with 
the  spirit  of  our  Master  if  our  fighting  is  to  further  his 
Kingdom.  Hate  breeds  hate;  force  challenges  force.  Only 
love  disarms ;  only  forgiveness  kills  an  enemy  and  leaves  a 
friend.  Jesus  blended  gentleness  and  virility,  forgiving  love 
and  uncompromising  boldness.  He  offered  it  as  a  mark  of  his 
Kingdom  that  his  followers  used  no  force  to  defend  him. 
Wherever  they  have  done  so,  the  Kingdom  of  heaven  has 
dropped  to  the  level  of  the  brutal  empires.  His  attack  is  by 
the  truth;  whoever  is  won  by  that,  is  conquered  for  good. 
Force  merely  changes  the  form  of  evil.  When  we  "overcome 
evil  with  good,"  we  eliminate  it. 

What  did  Paul  mean  by  saying  that  acts  of  kindness  to 
an  enemy  heap  coals  of  fire  on  his  head? 

How  about  moral  crusades  that  aim  to  put  joint-keepers 
and  pimps  in  prison? 

Study  for  the  Week 

A.11  gre?t  religious  teachers  have  had  a  deep  sense  of  the 
power  of  evil  in  human  life.     Jesus  apparently  was  not  in- 

157 


[X-s]       THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

terested  in  the  philosophical  question  of  the  origin  of  evil, 
but  accepted  the  fact  of  evil  in  a  pragmatic  way,  and  saw  his 
own  life  as  a  conflict  with  sin  and  wrong. 

Some  facts,  as  we  have  seen,  were  clearly  written  in  his 
consciousness:  the  frailty  of  our  will;  the  consolidation  of 
evil  in  men  of  bad  character  and  the  automatic  output  of 
lies  and  distortions  coming  from  such;  the  power  of  social 
pressure  by  which  the  weak  are  made  to  trip  and  fall;  and 
the  pervasive  satanic  power  of  evil  which  purposely  neutral- 
izes the  efforts  leading  toward  the  Reign  of  God. 

The  fact  that  Jesus  realized  evil  in  individuals  and  society, 
that  he  reckoned  with  it  practically,  and  that  he  set  himself 
against  it  with  singleness  of  purpose,  constitutes  another  of 
his  social  principles.  Any  view  of  life  which  blurs  the  fact 
of  evil  would  have  seemed  to  him  an  illusion.  He  would 
have  foretold  failure  for  any  policy  based  on  it.  His  great 
social  problem  was  redemption  from  evil.  Every  step  of  ap- 
proach toward  the  Kingdom  of  God  must  be  won  by  conflict. 

Modern  science  explains  evil  along  totally  different  lines, 
but  as  to  the  main  facts  it  agrees  with  the  spiritual  insight 
of  Jesus.  Psychology  recognizes  that  the  higher  desires  are 
usually  sluggish  and  faint,  while  the  animal  appetites  are 
strong  and  clamorous.  Our  will  tires  easily  and  readily  yields 
to  social  pressure.  In  many  individuals  the  raw  material  of 
character  is  terribly  flawed  by  inheritance.  So  the  young, 
with  a  maximum  of  desire  and  a  minimum  of  self-restraint, 
slip  into  folly,  and  the  aging  backslide  into  shame.  Human 
nature  needs  a  strong  reenforcement  to  rouse  it  from  its  in- 
herited lethargy  and  put  it  on  the  toilsome  upward  track.  It 
needs  redemption,  emancipation  from  slavery,  a  breaking  of 
bonds. 


Evangelism  is  the  attack  of  redemptive  energy  in  the 
sphere  of  personal  life.  It  comes  to  a  man  shamed  by  the 
sense  of  guilt  and  bafiled  by  moral  failure,  and  rouses  him  to 
a  consciousness  of  his  high  worth  and  eternal  destiny.     It 

158 


THE  CONFLICT  WITH  EVIL  [X-s] 

transmits  the  faith  of  the  Christian  Church  in  a  loving  and 
gracious  God  who  is  willing  to  forgive  and  powerful  to  save. 
It  teaches  a  man  to  pray,  curing  his  soul  by  affirming  over 
and  over  a  triumphant  faith,  and  throwing  it  open  to  mys- 
terious spiritual  powers  which  bring  joy,  peace,  and  strength 
beyond  Himself.  It  sets  before  him  a  code  of  moral  duty  to 
quicken  and  guide  his  conscience.  It  puts  him  inside  of  a 
group  of  like-minded  people  who  exercise  social  restraint 
and  urge  him  on. 

When  all  this  is  wisely  combined,  it  constitutes  a  spiritual 
reenforcement  of  incomparable  energy.  It  acts  like  an  eman- 
cipation. It  gives  a  sense  of  freedom  and  newness.  The 
untrained  observer  sees  it  mainly  in  those  cases  where  the 
turn  has  come  in  some  dramatic  form  and  where  the  contrast 
between  the  old  and  new  life  is  most  demonstrable.  But  the 
saving  force  is  at  work  even  when  it  seeps  in  through  home 
influences  so  quietly  that  the  beneficiary  of  it  does  not  realize 
what  a  great  thing  has  been  done  for  him. 

The  saving  force  has  to  attack  the  powers  in  possession. 
Only  those  who  have  helped  in  wresting  men  free  from  sin 
can  tell  what  a  stiff  fight  it  often  is.  ,  Here  is  an  intellectual 
professional  man  who  goes  off  for  a  secret  spree  about  once 
in  sixty  days;  a  respectable  woman  who  has  come  under  the 
opium  habit ;  a  boy  who  is  both  a  cigarette  fiend  and  sexually 
weak;  a  man  who  domineers  and  cows  his  wife  and  family; 
a  woman  who  has  reduced  her  husband  to  slavery  to  supply 
her  expensive  tastes;  a  girl  who  shirks  all  work  and  throws 
the  burden  of  her  selfish  life  on  a  hard-worked  mother;  a 
college  man  whose  parents  are  straining  all  their  resources 
and  using  up  their  security  for  old  age  to  keep  him  at  col- 
lege, and  who  gambles — complete  the  catalogue  for  yourself. 
To  make  these  individuals  over  into  true  citizens  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God  and  loyal  fellow-workers  of  their  fellow- 
men  means  constructive  conflict  of  a  high  order.  It  has  been 
done.^ 


'See,  for  instance,  Begbie,  "Twice  Bom  Men." 

IS9 


[X-s]       THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

II 

The  problem  of  evil  becomes  far  more  complicated  when 
evil  is  socialized.  The  simplest  and  most  familiar  form  of 
that  is  the  boys'  gang.  Here  is  a  group  of  young  humans 
who  get  their  fun  and  adventure  by  pulling  the  whiskers  of 
the  law.  They  idealize  vice  and  crime.  Leadership  in  their 
group  is  won  by  proficiency  in  profanity,  gambling,  obscenity, 
and  slugging.  The  gang  assimilates  its  members ;  there  is 
regimentation  of  evil.  It  acts  as  a  channel  of  tradition;  the 
boy  of  fifteen  teaches  the  boy  of  twelve  what  he  has  learned 
from  the  boy  of  eighteen. 

How  is  the  problem  of  evil  affected  when  the  powers  of 
human  society,  which  usually  restrain  the  individual  from 
vice  and  rebellion,  are  used  to  urge  him  into  it?  Should 
the  strategy  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  be  adjusted  to  that 
situation?  It  is  not  enough  to  win  individuals  away  from 
the  gangs.  Can  the  gang  spirit  itself  be  christianized  and 
used  to  restrain  and  stimulate  the  young  for  good?  Has 
this  been  done,  and  where,  and  how?  Is  Christian  institu- 
tional work  sufficient  to  cope  with  the  problem?  What  read- 
justments in  the  recreational  and  educational  outfit  of  our 
American  communities  are  needed  to  give  a  wholesome  out- 
let to  the  spirit  of  play  and  adventure,  and  to  train  the 
young  for  their  life  work?  Would  such  an  outfit  do  the 
work  without  personal  leadership  inspired  by  religion? 

Christian  evangelism  in  the  past  has  not  had  an  adequate 
understanding  of  the  power  of  the  group.  In  what  con- 
nections has  the  Church  shown  a  true  valuation  of  the  social 
factor  in  sin  and  redemption?  At  what  points  has  its  strategy 
been  ineffective  in  dealing  with  socialized  evil?  What  con- 
tributions can  social  science  make  to  the  efficiency  of  evan- 
gelism? Would  a  correct  scientific  analysis  of  the  con- 
structive and  disintegrating  forces  in  society  be  enough  to  do 
saving  work? 

Ill 

The  bad  gangs  of  the  young  are  usually  held  together  by 
i6o 


THE  CONFLICT  WITH  EVIL  [X-s] 

a  misdirected  love  of  play  and  adventure.  The  dangerous 
combinations  of  adults  are  consolidated  by  "the  cohesive 
power  of  plunder."  That  makes  them  a  far  more  difficult 
proposition. 

Any  local  attack  on  saloons  and  vice  resorts  furnishes  a 
laboratory  demonstration  of  socialized  evil.  The  object  of 
both  kinds  of  institutions  is  to  make  big  profit  by  catering 
to  desires  vi^hich  induce  men  to  spend  freely.  Music  and 
sociability  are  used  as  a  bait.  The  people  who  profit  by  this 
trade  are  held  together  by  the  fear  of  a  common  danger. 
Since  the  community  uses  political  means  of  curbing  or  sup- 
pressing the  vice  business,  the  vice  group  goes  into  politics 
to  prevent  it.  It  seeks  to  control  the  police,  the  courts,  the 
political  machines  by  sharing  part  of  its  profits.  Lawyers, 
officials,  newspaper  proprietors,  and  real  estate  men  are  linked 
up  and  summoned  like  a  feudal  levy  in  case  of  danger.  Drug- 
stores, doctors,  chauffeurs,  messenger  boys,  and  all  kinds  of 
people  are  used  to  bring  in  trade  and  make  it  secure.  The 
exploded  fictions  of  alcoholism  are  kept  circulating.  Like  a 
tape-worm  in  the  intestines,  these  articulated  and  many- 
jointed  parasitic  organizations  of  vice  make  our  communi- 
ties sick,  dirty,  and  decadent. 

We  have  learned  to  read  the  sordid  trail  of  the  drink  and 
vice  traffic  in  American  communities.  There  is  another  kind 
of  organized  evil,  even  more  ancient,  pervasive,  and  deadly, 
which  few  understand,  though  it  has  left  a  trail  sufficiently 
terrible. 

Wherever  we  look  in  the  history  of  the  older  nations,  we 
see  an  alignment  of  two  fundamental  classes.  The  one  is 
born  to  toil,  stunted  by  toil,  and  gets  its  class  character- 
istics by  toil.  The  other  is  characterized  by  the  pleasures  and 
arts  of  leisure,  is  physically  and  mentally  developed  by 
leisure,  and  proud  and  jealous  of  its  leisure.  This  class  is 
always  class-conscious ;  its  groups,  however  antagonistic,  al- 
ways stand  together  against  the  class  of  toil.  Its  combina- 
tion of  leisure  and  wealth  is  conditioned  on  the  power  of 
taking  tribute  from  the  labor  of  many.    In  order  to  do  this 

i6i 


[X-s]       TEE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

with  safety,  it  must  control  political  power,  the  military  out 
fit,  the  power  of  making,  interpreting  and  executing  the  laws, 
and  the  forces  forming  public  opinion. 

Before  the  advent  of  industrialism  and  political  democracy, 
it  secured  its  income  by  controlling  the  land  and  the  govern- 
ment of  nations;  and  the  effects  of  its  control  can  be  read  in 
the  condition  of  the  rural  population  of  Russia,  Austria, 
Eastern  Germany,  Italy,  France  before  the  Revolution,  Eng- 
land, and  especially  Ireland.  The  development  of  industry 
has  changed  the  problem  of  economic  and  political  control; 
but  the  essentials  remain,  as  we  can  see  in  the  condition  of 
industrial  communities  and  the  history  of  labor  legislation. 

The  fundamental  sin  of  all  dominant  classes  has  been  the 
taking  of  unearned  incomes.  Political  oppression  has  always 
been  a  corollary  of  economic  parasitism,  a  means  to  an  end. 
The  combination  of  the  two  constitutes  the  largest  and  most 
continuous  form  of  organized  evil  in  human  history. 

Jesus  used  the  illustration  of  pegs  maliciously  driven  into 
the  path  to  make  men  stumble  and  fall.  It  would  require 
some  illustration  drawn  from  modern  machinery  to  express 
the  wholesale  prostration  of  bodies  and  souls  where  covet- 
ousness  has  secured  continuous  power  and  has  been  able  to 
get  in  its  full  work.  Anyone  who  has  ever  looked  with 
human  understanding  at  the  undersized  and  stupid  peasants 
of  countries  ruled  by  their  landlord  class,  or  at  the  sordid 
homes  and  pleasures  of  miners  or  industrial  workers  where 
some  corporation  feared  neither  God  nor  the  law,  ought  to 
get  a  comprehension  of  the  power  of  evil  that  has  rested  like 
an  iron  yoke  on  humanity. 

We  think  most  readily  of  the  children  of  the  poor  as  a 
product  of  exploitation;  underfed  and  overstimulated,  cut 
off  from  the  clean  pleasures  of  nature,  often  tainted  with 
vice  before  knowledge  has  come,  and  urged  along  by  the 
appetites  and  cruel  selfishness  of  older  persons,  they  are  a 
standing  accusation  against  society  itself.^    Jesus  would  have 


'See  Jane  Addams,  "A  New  Conscience  and  an  Ancient  Evil.' 
162 


THE  CONFLICT  WITH  EVIL  [X-s] 

felt  that  the  children  of  the  rich  are  an  even  worse  product 
of  exploitation  than  the  poor.  When  "society"  plays,  it  burns 
up  the  labor  of  thousands  like  fireworks.  The  only  possible 
justification  for  the  aggregations  of  wealth  is  that  the  rich 
are  to  act  as  the  trustees  and  directors  of  the  wealth  of 
society;  but  their  children — except  in  conspicuous  and  fine 
exceptions — are  put  out  of  contact  with  the  people  whom  they 
must  know  if  they  are  to  serve  them,  so  that  it  takes  heroic 
effort  on  the  part  of  noble  exceptions  to  get  in  contact  with 
the  people  once  more,  and  to  discover  how  they  live.  In  all 
nations  the  atmosphere  of  the  aristocratic  groups  drugs  the 
sense  of  obligation,  and  possesses  the  mind  with  the  notion 
that  the  life  and  labor  of  men  are  made  to  play  tennis  with. 
The  existence  of  great  permanent  groups,  feeding  but  not 
producing,  dominating  and  directing  the  life  of  whole  nations 
according  to  their  own  needs,  may  well  seem  a  supreme  proof 
of  the  power  of  evil  in  humanity. 

rv 

If  evil  is  socialized,  salvation  must  be  socialized.  The 
organization  of  the  Christian  Church  is  a  recognition  of  the 
social  factor  in  salvation.  It  is  not  enough  to  have  God, 
and  Christ,  and  the  Bible.  A  group  is  needed,  organized  on 
Christian  principles,  and  expressing  the  Christian  spirit,  which 
will  assimilate  the  individual  and  gradually  make  him  over 
into  a  citizen  of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  Salvation  will  rarely 
come  to  anyone  without  the  mediation  of  some  individual  or 
group  which  already  has  salvation.  It  may  be  very  small 
and  simple.  "Where  two  or  three  are  gathered  in  my  name, 
there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them."  That  saying  recognizes 
that  an  additional  force  is  given  to  religion  by  its  embodi- 
ment in  a  group  of  believers.  Professor  Royce  has  recently 
reasserted  in  modern  terms  the  old  doctrine  that  "there  is 
no  salvation  outside  of  the  Church,"  calling  the  Church  "the 
beloved  community."  Of  course  the  question  is  how  inten- 
sively  Christian   the   Church  can  make  its   members.     That 

163 


[X-s]       THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

will  depend  on  the  question  how  Christian  the  Church  itself 
is,  and  there's  the  rub. 

The  Church  is  the  permanent  social  factor  in  salvation. 
But  it  has  cause  to  realize  that  many  social  forces  outside 
its  immediate  organization  must  be  used,  if  the  entire  com- 
munity is  to  be  christianized. 

In  the  earliest  centuries  Christianity  was  practically  limited 
to  the  life  within  the  Church.  Being  surrounded  by  a  hostile 
social  order,  and  compelled  to  fence  off  its  members,  it  created 
a  little  duplicate  social  order  within  the  churches  where  it 
sought  to  realize  the  distinctively  Christian  social  life.  Its 
influence  there  was  necessarily  restricted  mainly  to  individual 
morality,  family  life,  and  neighborly  intercourse,  and  here  it 
did  fundamental  work  in  raising  the  moral  standards.  On 
the  other  hand,  it  failed  to  reorganize  industry,  property,  and 
the  State.  Even  if  Christians  had  had  an  intelligent  social 
and  political  outlook,  any  interference  with  the  Roman  Em- 
pire by  the  low-class  adherents  of  a  forbidden  religion  was 
out  of  the  question.  When  the  Church  was  recognized  and 
favored  under  Constantine  and  his  successors,  it  had  lost  its 
democratic  composition  and  spirit,  and  the  persons  who  con- 
trolled it  were  the  same  sort  of  men  who  controlled  the 
State. 

The  early  age  of  the  Church  has  had  a  profound  influence 
in  fixing  the  ideals  and  aims  of  later  times.  The  compulsory 
seclusion  and  confinement  of  the  age  of  persecution  are  sup- 
posed to  mark  the  mission  of  the  Church.  As  long  as  the 
social  life  in  our  country  was  simple  and  rural,  the  churches, 
when  well  led,  were  able  to  control  the  moral  life  of  entire 
communities.  But  as  social  organization  became  complex 
and  the  solidarity  of  neighborhood  life  was  left  behind,  the 
situation  got  beyond  the  institutional  influence  of  the  churches. 
Evidently  the  fighting  energies  of  Christianity  will  have  to 
make  their  attack  on  broader  lines,  and  utilize  the  scientific 
knowledge  of  society,  which  is  now  for  the  first  time  at  the 
command  of  religion,  and  the  forces  set  free  by  political  and 
social  democracy.     We  can  not  restrict  the  modern  conflict 

164 


THE  CONFLICT  WITH  EVIL  [X-s] 

with  evil  to  the  defensive  tactics  of  a  wholly  different  age. 
Wherever  organized  evil  opposes  the  advance  of  the  King- 
dom of  God,  there  is  the  battle-front.  Wherever  there  is  any 
saving  to  be  done,  Christianity  ought  to  be  in  it.  The  in- 
tensive economic  and  sociological  studies  of  the  present 
generation  of  college  students  are  a  preparation  for  this 
larger  warfare  with  evil.  These  studies  will  receive  their 
moral  dignity  and  religious  consecration  when  they  are  put 
at  the  service  of  Jesus  Christ  and  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

Suggestions  for  Thought  and  Discussion 

I.     The  Natural  Drift 

1.  If  left  alone,  which  way  do  we  tend  ?  Does  a  normal 
and  sound  individual  need  spiritual  reinforcement  to  live 
a  good  life? 

2.  How  do  you  account  for  the  fact  that  the  noblest 
movements  are  so  easily  debased? 

II.  Jesus  and  Human  Sin 

1.  Did  Jesus  take  a  friendly  or  a  gloomy  view  of  human 
nature?    How  did  the  fact  of  sin  in  humanity  impress  him? 

2.  Why  did  he  condemn  so  sternly  those  who  caused  the 
weak  to  stumble?  Estimate  the  relative  force  of  the  natural 
weakness  of  human  nature,  and  of  the  pressure  of  social- 
ized evil,  when  individuals  go  wrong. 

3.  Do  you  agree  with  the  exposition  in  the  Daily  Read- 
ing for  the  Fourth  Day?  Do  men  want  to  be  let  alone? 
Is  this  an  evidence  of  sinful  tendency? 

4.  What  personal  experiences  of  Jesus  prompted  the 
parable  of  the  tares?  Was  the  conception  of  Satan  in 
Jewish  religion  of  individual  or  social  origin?  When  did 
it  have  political  significance? 

III.  The  Irrepressible  ConAict 

I.    Why  did  Jesus  foresee  an  inevitable  conflict  if  the 


[X-s]      THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

Kingdom  of  God  was  to  come?     Has  history  borne  him 
out? 

2.  Does  mystical  religion  involve  a  man  in  conflict? 
Does  ascetic  religion?  Which  books  him  for  more  conflict 
with  social  evil — a  life  set  on  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  earth, 
or  a  faith  set  on  the  life  to  come? 

3.  What  form  does  the  conflict  with  evil  take  in  our 
personal  life?  What  reinforcement  does  the  Christian 
religion  as  a  spiritual  faith  offer  us?  What  personal  expe- 
rience have  we  of  its  failure  or  its  effectiveness? 

4.  What  is  meant  by  evil  being  socialized?  In  what 
ways  does  this  increase  the  abihty  of  evil  to  defend  and 
propagate  itself? 

5.  What  are  the  most  dangerous  forms  of  organized 
evil  today?    How  do  they  work? 

6.  What  are  the  most  disastrous  "stumbling  blocks" 
today  for  working  people?  For  business  men?  For  stu- 
dents ? 

7.  The  Church  sings  many  militant  hymns.  Is  the 
Church  as  a  whole  a  fighting  force  today? 

IV.    For  Special  Discussion 

1.  How  should  an  individual  go  about  it  to  fight  con- 
crete and  socialized  evils  in  a  community? 

2.  How  can  a  church  get  into  the  fight?  Should  the 
Church  go  into  politics?     Why,  or  why  not? 

3.  Would  Christianity  be  just  as  influential  as  a  social 
power  of  salvation  if  the  Christian  Church  did  not  exist? 

4.  Will  the  fight  against  evil  ever  be  won?  If  not,  is  it 
worth  fighting? 


z66 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  GROSS  AS  A  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLE 

Social  Redemption  is  Wrought  by  Vicarious  Suffering 

Daily  Readings 
First  Day:  The  Prophetic  Succession 

And  he  began  to  speak  unto  them  in  parables.  A 
man  planted  a  vineyard,  and  set  a  hedge  about  it, 
and  digged  a  pit  for  the  winepress,  and  built  a  tower, 
and  let  it  out  to  husbandmen,  and  went  into  an- 
other country.  And  at  the  season  he  sent  to  the 
husbandmen  a  servant,  that  he  might  receive  from 
the  husbandmen  of  the  fruits  of  the  vineyard.  And 
they  took  him,  and  beat  him,  and  sent  him  away 
empty.  And  again  he  sent  unto  them  another  ser- 
vant ;  and  him  they  wounded  in  the  head,  and  handled 
shamefully.  And  he  sent  another;  and  him  they 
killed:  and  many  others;  beating  some,  and  killing 
some.  He  had  yet  one,  a  beloved  son :  he  sent  him 
last  unto  them,  saying.  They  will  reverence  my  son. 
But  those  husbandmen  said  among  themselves,  This 
is  the  heir ;  come,  let  us  kill  him,  and  the  inheritance 
shall  be  ours.  And  they  took  him,  and  killed  him, 
and  cast  him  forth  out  of  the  vineyard.  What  there- 
fore will  the  lord  of  the  vineyard  do?  he  will  come 
and  destroy  the  husbandmen,  and  will  give  the  vine- 
yard unto  others. — Mark  12 :   1-9. 

The  vineyard  parable  was  meant  as  an  epitome  of  Jewish 
history.  By  the  servants  who  came  to  summon  the  nation 
to  obedience,  Jesus  meant  the  prophets.  The  history  of  the 
Hebrew  people  was  marked  by  a  unique  succession  of  men 

167 


[XI-2]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

who  had  experienced  God,  who  lived  in  the  consciousness 
of  the  Eternal,  who  judged  the  national  life  by  the  standard 
of  divine  righteousness,  and  who  spoke  to  their  generation 
as  representatives  of  God.^  The  spirit  of  these  men  and  the 
indirect  permanent  influence  they  gained  in  their  nation  give 
the  Old  Testament  its  incomparable  power  to  impel  and 
inspire  us.  They  were  the  moving  force  in  the  spiritual  prog- 
ress of  their  nation.  Yet  Jesus  here  sketches  their  fate  as 
one  of  suffering  and   rejection. 

Have  other  nations  had  a  succession  of  men  corresponding 
to  the  Hebrew  prophets? 

Are  there  any  in  our  own  national  history? 

Second  Day  :  The  Suffering  Servant  of  Jehovah 

Surely  he  hath  borne  our  griefs,  and  carried  our 
sorrows;  yet  we  did  esteem  him  stricken,  smitten  of 
God,  and  afflicted.  But  he  was  wounded  for  our 
transgressions,  he  was  bruised  for  our  iniquities;  the 
chastisement  of  our  peace  was  upon  him ;  and  with 
his  stripes  we  are  healed.  All  we  like  sheep  have 
gone  astray;  we  have  turned  every  one  to  his  own 
way;  and  Jehovah  hath  laid  on  him  the  iniquity  of  us 
all. 

He  was  oppressed,  yet  when  he  was  afflicted  he 
opened  not  his  mouth ;  as  a  lamb  that  is  led  to  the 
slaughter,  and  as  a  sheep  that  before  its  shearers 
is  dumb,  so  he  opened  not  his  mouth.  By  oppression 
and  judgment  he  was  taken  away;  and  as  for  his 
generation,  who  among  them  considered  that  he  was 
cut  off  out  of  the  land  of  the  living  for  the  trans- 
gression of  my  people  to  whom  the  stroke  was  due? — 
Isaiah  53 :  4-8. 


1  Why  not  give  a  fresh  reading  to  the  Hebrew  prophets?  Read  them  as  if 
they  had  just  been  dug  up  in  the  East.  Read  them  with  the  insight  into 
social  life  developed  by  economic  and  sociological  work  in  college.  Read 
them  with  the  critical  social  and  political  situations  in  mind.  Read  entire 
books  at  a  sitting  to  absorb  the  spiritual  valor  of  the  prophets  and  their  sense 
of  God  and  of  righteousness.  George  Adam  Smith's  "The  Book  of  the  Twelve 
Prophets"  has  fine  social  understanding,  and  gives  the  necessary  historical 
background. 

i68- 


THE  CROSS  AS  A  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLE    [XI-3I 

In  the  latter  part  of  Isaiah  are  a  number  of  sections  de- 
scribing the  character  and  mission  of  "the  servant  of  Je- 
hovah." Whom  did  the  writer  mean?  A  single  great  per- 
sonality? The  suffering  and  exiled  Hebrew  nation?  A 
godly  and  inspired  group  of  prophets  within  the  nation? 
The  Christian  Church  has  always  seen  in  this  servant  of 
Jehovah  a  striking  prophecy  of  Christ.  The  fact  that  the 
interpretation  has  long  been  in  question  indicates  that  the 
characteristics  of  the  servant  of  Jehovah  can  be  traced  in 
varying  degrees  in  the  nation,  in  the  prophetic  order,  in 
single  prophets,  and  preeminently  in  the  great  culminating 
figure  of  all  prophethood.  Isaiah  53  describes  the  servant 
of  Jehovah  as  rejected  and  despised,  misunderstood,  bearing 
the  transgressions  and  chastisement  of  all.  It  is  the  first 
great  formulation  of  the  fact  of  vicarious  suffering  in 
humanity. 

Why  and  how  can  the  sins  of  a  group  fall  on  one? 

Third  Day  :  A  Contemporary  Prophet 

And  as  these  went  their  way,  Jesus  began  to  say 
unto  the  multitudes  concerning  John,  What  went  ye 
out  into  the  wilderness  to  behold?  a  reed  shaken 
with  the  wind?  But  what  went  ye  out  to  see?  a  man 
clothed  in  soft  raiment?  Behold,  they  that  wear  soft 
raiment  are  in  kings'  houses.  But  wherefore  went  ye 
out?  to  see  a  prophet?  Yea,  I  say  unto  you,  and 
much  more  than  a  prophet.  This  is  he,  of  whom  it 
is  written, 

Behold,  I  send  my  messenger  before  thy  face, 

Who  shall  prepare  thy  way  before  thee.    .     .     . 

But  whereunto  shall  I  liken  this  generation?  It 
is  like  unto  children  sitting  in  the  marketplaces,  who 
call  unto  their  fellows  and  say,  We  piped  unto  you, 
and  ye  did  not  dance;  we  wailed,  and  ye  did  not 
mourn. 

For  John  came  neither  eating  nor  drinking,  and 
they  say.  He  hath  a  demon.  The  Son  of  man  came 
eating  and  drinking,  and  they  say,  Behold  a  glut- 
169 


tXI-4]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

tonous  man  and  a  winebibber,  a  friend  of  publicans 
and  sinners!  And  wisdom  is  justified  by  her  works. 
— Matt.  II :  7-10;  16-19. 

To  Jesus  prophetism  was  not  merely  an  historic  fact,  but 
a  living  reality.  He  believed  in  present-day  inspiration.  He 
and  his  contemporaries  had  seen  one  great  prophet,  fearless, 
heroic,  with  all  the  marks  of  the  type,  a  messenger  of  God 
inaugurating  a  new  era  of  spiritual  ferment  (vs.  12,  13). 
But  John  had  to  bear  the  prophet's  lot.  He  was  then  in 
prison  for  the  crime  of  telling  a  king  the  truth,  and  was 
soon  to  die  to  please  a  vindictive  woman.  The  people,  too, 
had  wagged  their  heads  over  him.  Like  pouting  children  on 
the  public  square,  who  "won't  play,"  whether  the  game  pro- 
posed is  a  wedding  or  a  funeral,  the  people  had  criticized  John 
for  being  a  gloomy  ascetic,  and  found  fault  with  Jesus  for 
his  shocking  cheerfulness.  There  was  no  way  of  suiting 
them,  and  no  way  of  making  them  take  the  call  of  God  to 
heart.  Long  before  electricity  was  invented,  human  nature 
knew  all  about  interposing  nonconductors  between  itself  and 
the  truth. 

Have  we  ever  noticed  students  interposing  a  general  crit' 
icism  between  themselves  and  a  particular  obligation? 

Can  it  be  that  one  of  the  uses  of  a  higher  education  is 
to  furnish  greater  facility  in  fuddling  inconvenient  truth? 

Fourth  Day:  Looking  Forward  to  the  Cross 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  days  were  well- 
nigh  come  that  he  should  be  received  up,  he  sted- 
fastly  set  his  face  to  go  to  Jerusalem. — Luke  9:  51. 

In  that  very  hour  there  came  certain  Pharisees, 
saying  to  him,  Get  thee  out,  and  go  hence :  for 
Herod  would  fain  kill  thee.  And  he  said  unto  them. 
Go  and  say  to  that  fox.  Behold,  I  cast  out  demons 
and  perform  cures  to-day  and  to-morrow,  and  the 
third  day  I  am  perfected.  Nevertheless  I  must  go 
on  my  way  to-day  and  to-morrow  and  the  day  fol- 
170 


THE  CROSS  AS  A  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLE    [XI-s] 

lowing:  for  it  cannot  be  that  a  prophet  perish  out 
of  Jerusalem.  O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  that  killeth 
the  prophets,  and  stoneth  them  that  are  sent  unto 
her  1  how  often  would  I  have  gathered  thy  chil- 
dren together,  even  as  a  hen  gathereth  her  own  brood 
under  her  wings,  and  ye  would  not! — Luke  13:  31-34. 

Jesus  early  knew  that  the  decision  was  going  against  him. 
He  saw  the  cross  on  the  horizon  of  his  life  long  before 
others  saw  it.  Painters  have  pictured  him  in  his  father's 
carpenter  shop,  with  tools  on  his  shoulder,  gazing  down  at 
his  shadow  shaped  like  a  cross.  He  accepted  death  con- 
sciously and  "stedfastly  set  his  face  to  go  up  to  Jeru- 
salem," though  he  knew  what  was  awaiting  him.  Jerusalem 
had  acquired  a  sad  preeminence  as  the  place  where  the 
struggles  between  the  prophets  and  the  heads  of  the  nation 
were  settled.  He  saw  his  own  death  as  part  of  the  prophetic 
succession.  He  went  to  it,  not  as  a  driven  slave,  but  as  a 
free  spirit.  That  jackal  of  a  king,  Herod,  could  not  scare 
him  out  of  Galilee.  His  time  was  in  his  Father's  hand.  To- 
day, tomorrow,  and  the  day  following,  he  would  work,  and 
then  he  would  be  perfected. 

Fifth  Day:  New  Prophets  to  Follow 

Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites! 
for  ye  build  the  sepulchres  of  the  prophets,  and  gar- 
nish the  tombs  of  the  righteous,  and  say,  If  we  had 
been  in  the  days  of  our  fathers,  we  should  not  have 
been  partakers  with  them  in  the  blood  of  the  proph- 
ets. Wherefore  ye  witness  to  yourselves,  that  ye 
are  sons  of  them  that  slew  the  prophets.  Fill  ye  up 
then  the  measure  of  your  fathers.  Ye  serpents,  ye 
offspring  of  vipers,  how  shall  ye  escape  the  judg- 
ment of  hell?  Therefore,  behold,  I  send  unto  you 
prophets,  and  wise  men,  and  scribes :  some  of  them 
shall  ye  kill  and  crucify;  and  some  of  them  shall  ye 
scourge  in  your  synagogues,  and  persecute  from  city 
to  city:  that  upon  you  may  come  all  the  righteous 
blood  shed  on  the  earth,  from  the  blood  of  Abel  the 
171 


[XI-6]      THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

righteous  unto  the  blood  of  Zachariah  son  of  Bara- 
chiah,  whom  ye  slew  between  the  sanctuary  and  the 
altar.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  All  these  things  shall 
come  upon   this   generation. — Matt.   23 :    29-36. 

This  is  the  climax  of  the  great  invective  against  the  re- 
ligious leaders  of  the  nation.  The  last  count  in  the  indict- 
ment is  that  they  were  about  to  complete  the  record  of 
their  fathers  by  rejecting  and  persecuting  the  prophets  of 
their  generation.  The  fact  had  sunk  into  the  public  mind 
that  former  generations  had  been  guilty  of  this.  "If  we  had 
been  in  the  days  of  our  fathers,  we  should  not  have  been 
partakers  with  them  in  the  blood  of  the  prophets."  Jesus 
promises  to  make  a  test  of  this  and  foretells  that  they  will 
go  the  old  way  and  so  declare  their  spiritual  solidarity  with 
the  sins  of  the  past.  We  see  here  that  he  thought  of  his 
disciples  as  moving  in  the  prophetic  succession. 

"Hast    thou    chosen,    O    my    people,    on    whose    party    thou 

shalt  stand. 
Ere  the  Doom  from  its  worn  sandals  shakes  the  dust  against 

the  land?" 

"Never  shows  the  choice  momentous  till  the  judgment  hath 
passed  by." 

Sixth  Day:  The  Cross  for  All 

From  that  time  began  Jesus  to  show  unto  his  dis- 
ciples, that  he  must  go  unto  Jerusalem,  and  suffer 
many  things  of  the  elders  and  chief  priests  and 
scribes,  and  be  killed,  and  the  third  day  be  raised  up. 
And  Peter  took  him,  and  began  to  rebuke  him,  say- 
ing, Be  it  far  from  thee.  Lord :  this  shall  never  be 
unto  thee.  But  he  turned,  and  said  unto  Peter,  Get 
thee  behind  me,  Satan:  thou  art  a  stumbling-block 
unto  me:  for  thou  mindest  not  the  things  of  God, 
but  the  things  of  men.  Then  said  Jesus  unto  his 
disciples,  If  any  man  would  come  after  me,  let  him 
172 


THE  CROSS  AS  A  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLE    [XI-7] 

deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross,  and  follow  me. 
For  whosoever  would  save  his  life  shall  lose  it:  and 
whosoever  shall  lose  his  life  for  my  sake  shall  find 
it. — Matt.    16:   21-25. 

When  the  tide  was  turning  against  Jesus,  he  tested  the 
attitude  of  the  inner  circles  of  his  disciples,  and  drew  from 
Peter  on  behalf  of  all  a  ringing  declaration  of  faith  and 
loyalty  (vs.  13-16).  "From  that  time"  Jesus  began  to  share 
with  them  his  outlook  toward  death.  Peter  expressed  the 
shock  which  all  felt  and  protested  against  the  possibility. 
The  vehemence  with  which  Jesus  repelled  Peter's  suggestion 
gives  us  a  glimpse  of  the  inner  struggles  in  his  mind,  of 
which  we  get  a  fuller  revelation  in  his  prayer  in  Gethsemane. 
But  instead  of  receding  from  his  prediction  of  the  cross,  he 
expanded  it  by  laying  the  obligation  of  prophetic  sufifering 
on  all  his  disciples.  Their  adjustment  toward  that  destiny 
would  at  the  same  time  be  the  settlement  of  their  own  salva- 
tion. When  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  at  stake,  a  man  saves 
his  life  by  losing  it  and  loses  his  life  by  saving  it,  and  the 
loss  of  his  higher  self  can  not  be  offset  by  any  amount  of 
external  gain. 

Looking  ahead  to  the  profession  which  we  expect  to  enter, 
where  do  we  foresee  the  possibility  of  losing  our  lives  by 
trying  to  save  them,  or  of  saving  our  lives  by  apparently 
losing   them? 

Seventh  Day:  The  Consolations  of  the  Prophet 

Behold,  I  send  you  forth  as  sheep  in  the  midst  of 
wolves:  be  ye  therefore  wise  as  serpents,  and  harm- 
less as  doves.  But  beware  of  men :  for  they  will 
deliver  you  up  to  councils,  and  in  their  synagogues 
they  will  scourge  you;  yea  and  before  governors 
and  kings  shall  ye  be  brought  for  my  sake,  for  a 
testimony  to  them  and  to  the  Gentiles.  But  when 
they  deliver  you  up  be  not  anxious  how  or  what  ye 
shall  speak:  for  it  shall  be  given  you  in  that  hour 

173 


lXI-7]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

what  ye  shall  speak.  For  it  is  not  ye  that  speak, 
but  the  Spirit  of  your  Father  that  speaketh  in  you. 
— Matt,  id:  16-20. 

Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Did  ye  never  read  the  scrip- 
tures, 

The  stone  which   the  builders  rejected. 

The  same  was  made  the  head  of  the  corner; 

This  was   from  the  Lord, 

And  it  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes? — Matt.  21:  42. 

Blessed  are  they  that  have  been  persecuted  for 
righteousness'  sake:  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  Blessed  are  ye  when  men  shall  reproach 
you,  and  persecute  you,  and  say  all  manner  of  evil 
against  you  falsely,  for  my  sake.  Rejoice,  and  be 
exceeding  glad :  for  great  is  your  reward  in  heaven : 
for  so  persecuted  they  the  prophets  that  were  before 
you. — Matt.  5:  10-12. 

These  three  passages  express  three  great  consolations  for 
those  who  share  prophetic  opposition  with  Christ.  They 
will  have  to  face  great  odds ;  numbers  and  weight  will  be 
against  them.  But  there  will  be  a  quiet  voice  within  to  prompt 
them  and  sustain  them:  "It  is  not  ye  that  speak,  but  the 
Spirit  of  your  Father  that  speaketh  in  you." 

The  second  consolation  is  that  the  higher  court  will  re- 
verse the  verdict  of  the  lower.  The  stonemasons  may  look 
a  stone  over  and  conclude  that  it  will  not  fit  into  the  build- 
ing; but  the  architect  may  have  reserved  that  stone  for  the 
head  of  the  corner.  The  prophet  rarely  lives  to  see  his  own 
historical  vindication,  but  faith  knows  it  is  inevitable. 

The  third  consolation  is  contained  in  the  last  of  the 
Beatitudes.  Those  who  are  persecuted  for  righteousness* 
sake  may  well  rejoice  for  the  company  they  are  in,  for  the 
Leader  whose  name  they  bear,  and  for  the  Kingdom  of  God 
which  is  now  and  ever  shall  be  their  heritage. 

Imagine  two  classmates  in  the  same  profession,  reaching 
the  end  of  their  career.  The  one  has  attained  success,  wealth, 
eminence,  together  with  a  reputation  of  never  having  done  a 

174 


THE  CROSS  AS  A  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLE    [XI-s] 

courageous  and  self-sacrificing  action,  and  with  the  con- 
sciousness that  his  soul  has  grown  small  as  he  has  grown 
old.  The  other  has  been  a  fighter  for  the  right,  a  con- 
spicuous man,  but  has  kept  out  of  office,  tasting  poverty  and 
opposition  with  his  family,  yet  with  the  consciousness  that 
he  has  had  the  salt  of  the  earth  for  his  friends  and  that  he 
has  put  in  some  mighty  good  licks  for  righteousness.  Which 
would  we  rather  bef 

Study  for  the  Week 

Christian  men  have  differed  widely  in  interpreting  the 
significance  of  Christ's  suffering  and  death,  but  all  have 
agreed  that  the  cross  was  the  effective  culmination  of  his 
work  and  the  key  which  unlocks  the  meaning  of  his  whole 
life.  The  Church  has  always  felt  that  the  death  of  Christ 
was  an  event  of  eternal  importance  for  the  salvation  of  man- 
kind, unique  and  without  a  parallel.  It  has  an  almost  inex- 
haustible many-sidedness.  We  are  examining  here  but  one 
aspect.  We  have  seen  in  the  passages  studied  this  week  that 
Jesus  himself  linked  his  own  suffering  and  rejection  with 
the  fate  of  the  prophets  who  were  before  him  and  with  the 
fate  of  his  disciples  who  would  come  after  him.  He  saw  a 
red  line  running  through  history,  and  his  own  life  and  death 
were  part  of  it.  He  himself  generalized  the  social  value  of 
his  peculiar  experience,  and  taught  us  to  see  the  cross  as  a 
great  social  principle  of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  He  saw  his 
death  as  the  highest  demonstration  of  a  permanent  law  of 
human  life. 

I 

Evil  is  socialized,  institutionalized,  and  militant.  The  King- 
dom of  God  and  its  higher  laws  can  displace  it  only  by 
conflict.  "Truth  forever  on  the  scaffold,  Wrong  forever  on 
the  throne."  This  clash  involves  suffering.  This  suffering 
will  fall  most  heavily  on  those  who  most  completely  embody 
the  spirit  and  ideas  of  the  Kingdom,  and  who  have  the 
necessary  boldness  to  make  the  fight. 

In   most  men.  the   eternal   moral   conflict   gets    only   con- 

175 


[XI-s]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

fused  understanding.  Sometimes  they  are  aroused  by  senti- 
mental pity  or  indignation,  but  soon  tire  again.  If  their  own 
interests  are  aflFected  they  fight  well.  But  there  are  men 
and  women  whose  minds  have  been  made  so  sensitive  by 
personal  experiences  or  so  cleansed  by  right  education  and 
by  the  spirit  of  God  that  they  take  hold  of  the  moral  issues 
with  a  really  adequate  understanding.  Living  somehow  on 
the  outskirts  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  they  have  learned 
to  think  and  feel  according  to  its  higher  ways,  and  when 
they  turn  toward  things  as  they  now  are,  of  course  there  is 
a  collision;  not  this  time  a  collision  of  interests,  but  a  clash 
of  principles,  of  justice  with  wrong,  of  truth  with  crafty 
subterfuges,    or    of   solidarity    with    predatory    selfishness. 

The  life  and  fate  of  these  individuals  anticipates  the  issues 
of  history.  This  is  the  prophetic  quality  of  their  lives. 
Working  out  the  moral  and  intellectual  problems  in  their 
minds  before  the  masses  have  realized  them,  they  become  the 
natural  leaders  in  the  fight,  clarify  the  minds  of  others,  and 
thus  become,  not  only  forerunners,  but  invaluable  personal 
factors  in  the  moral  progress  of  the  race.  "The  single  living 
spirits  are  the  effective  units  in  shaping  history;  all  common 
tendencies  working  toward  realization  must  first  be  con- 
densed as  personal  forces  in  such  minds,  and  then  by  inter- 
action between  them  work  their  way  to  general  recognition" 
(Lotze).  Lowell's  "Present  Crisis"  is  perhaps  the  most 
powerful  poetical  expression  of  the  prophetic  function  in 
history, 

"Count  me  o'er  earth's  chosen  heroes — they  were  souls  that 
stood  alone, 

While  the  men  they  agonized  for  hurled  the  contumelious 
stone, 

Stood  serene,  and  down  the  future  saw  the  golden  beam 
incline 

To  the  side  of  perfect  justice,  mastered  by  their  faith  divine, 

By  one  man's  plain  truth  to  manhood  and  to  God's  su- 
preme design. 

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THE  CROSS  AS  A  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLE    [XI-s] 

"By  the  light  of  burning  heretics  Christ's  bleeding  feet  I 
track, 

Toiling  up  new  Calvaries  ever  with  the  cross  that  turns 
not  back, 

And  these  mounts  of  anguish  number  how  each  generation 
learned 

One  new  word  of  that  grand  Credo  which  in  prophet- 
hearts  hath  burned 

Since  the  first  man  stood  God-conquered  with  his  face  to 
heaven  upturned." 

II 

During  the  centuries  when  the  Church  was  herself  in  need 
of  redemption  and  her  purification  was  resisted  by  the 
dominant  ecclesiastical  interests,  such  prophetic  spirits  as 
Arnold  of  Brescia,  Wycliffe,  Huss,  and  Savonarola  were 
most  frequently  found  battling  for  the  freedom  of  the 
Church  from  the  despotic  grafters  inside  and  outside  of  the 
hierarchy,  and  for  the  purity  of  the  gospel.  The  Church  was 
a  chief  part  of  the  social  order,  and  the  reform  of  the  Church 
was  the  preeminent  social  problem.  Today  the  Church  is 
on  the  whole  free  from  graft,  and  as  openminded  as  the 
state  of  public  intelligence  permits  it  to  be.  Therefore  the 
prophet  minds  are  now  set  free  to  fight  for  the  freedom  of 
the  people  in  political  government  and  for  the  substitution 
of  cooperation  for  predatory  methods  in  industry,  and  the 
clash   is  most   felt   on  that  field. 

_Th^  law  of  prophetic  suffering  holds  true  as  much  as 
eyfir.  v  Probably  no  group  of  moT^ha^ve'lfver  urideTfalcen  to 
cleanse  a  city  of  profit-making  vice  without  being  made  to 
suffer  for  it,)  In  the  last  thirty  years  this  country  has  watched 
eminent  men  in  public  life  in  various  great  cities  making  a 
sincere  drive  to  break  the  grip  of  a  grafting  police  machine, 
or  of  a  political  clique,  or  of  public  service  corporations.  For 
a  while  such  a  man  has  public  sentiment  with  him,  for  all 
communities  have  a  desire  to  be  moral.  But  when  it  becomes 
clear  that  he  really  means  what  he  says,  and  that  important 

177 


[XI-s]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

incomes  will  be  hurt,  powerful  forces  set  on  him  with  abuse 
and  ridicule,  try  to  wreck  his  business  or  health,  and  side- 
track his  political  ambitions.  An  eminent  editor  in  the  Middle 
West,  speaking  before  the  Press  Association  of  his  State 
several  years  ago,  said :  "There  is  not  a  man  in  the  United 
States  today  who  has  tried  honestly  to  do  anything  to  change 
the  fundamental  conditions  that  make  for  poverty,  disease, 
vice,  and  crime  in  our  great  cities,  in  our  courts  and  in  our 
legislatures,  who,  at  the  very  time  at  which  his  efforts  seemed 
most  likely  to  succeed,  has  not  been  suddenly  turned  upon 
and  rent  by  the  great  newspaper  publications."  A  volume  of 
truthful  biographical  sketches  of  such  leaders  would  give  us 
a  history  of  the  cross  in  politics,  and  would  tell  us  more 
about  Christianity  as  an  effective  force  in  our  country  than 
some  church  statistics. 

Ill 

Jesus  took  the  sin  of  throttling  the  prophets  very  seriously. 
It  is  sin  on  a  higher  level  than  the  side-stepping  of  frail 
human  nature,  or  the  wrongs  done  in  private  grievances. 
Since  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  the  highest  thing  there  is, 
an  attempt  to  block  it  or  ruin  it  is  the  worst  sin.  Our  hope 
for  the  advance  of  the  race  and  its  escape  from  its  per- 
manent evils  is  conditioned  on  keeping  our  moral  perceptions 
clear  and  strong.  Suffocating  the  best  specimens  of  moral 
intelligence  and  intimidating  the  rest  by  their  fate  quenches 
the  guiding  light  of  mankind.     Is  anything  worse? 

Jesus  held  that  the  rejection  of  the  prophets  might  involve 
the  whole  nation  in  guilt  and  doom.  How  does  the  action 
of  Caiaphas  and  a  handful  of  other  men  involve  all  the  rest? 
By  virtue  of  human  solidarity.  One  sins  and  all  suffer, 
because  all  are  bound  together.  A  dominant  group  acts  for 
all,  and  drags  all  into  disaster.  This  points  to  the  moral 
importance  of  good  government.  If  exploiters  and  oppressors 
are  in  control  of  society,  its  collective  actions  will  be  guided 
and   determined  by  the  very  men   who  have   most  to   fear 

178 


THE  CROSS  AS  A  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLE    [XI-sj 

from  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  most  inclination  to  stifle  the 
prophetic  voices. 

But  the  same  solidarity  which  acts  as  a  conductor  of  sin 
will  also  serve  as  a  basis  to  make  the  attack  of  the  righteous 
few  effective  for  all.  If  the  suffering  of  good  men  puts 
a  just  issue  where  all  can  see  and  understand,  it  intensifies 
and  consolidates  the  right  feeling  of  the  community.  The 
suffering  of  a  leader  calls  out  passionate  sympathy  and  loyalty, 
sometimes  in  a  dangerous  degree.  In  the  labor  movement 
almost  any  fault  is  forgiven  to  a  man  who  has  been  in  prison 
for  the  cause  of  labor,  and  death  for  a  popular  cause  will 
idealize  the  memory  of  very  ordinary  or  questionable  char- 
acters. But  if  the  character  of  a  leader  is  pure,  suffering 
accredits  him  and  gives  him  power.  The  cross  had  an  in- 
comparable value  in  putting  the  cause  of  Christianity  before 
the  world.  It  placed  Jesus  where  mankind  could  never  forget 
him,  and  it  lit  up  the  whole  problem  of  sin  and  redemption 
with  the  fire  of  the  greatest  of  all  tragedies. 

"The  cross,  bold   type   of   shame  to  homage  turned, 
Of  an  unfinished  life  that  sways  the  world." 


IV 

But  not  all  righteous  suffering  is  socially  effective.  A  good 
man  may  be  suppressed  before  he  has  won  a  following,  or 
even  before  he  has  wrought  out  his  message  in  his  own  mind, 
and  his  suppression  leaves  only  a  few  bubbles  on  the  waters 
of  oblivion.  In  that  case  his  life  has  failed  to  discharge  the 
redemptive  force  contained  in  it.  It  only  adds  a  little  more 
to  the  horror  and  tragedy  of  a  sinful,  deaf,  and  blood- 
stained world.  Many  of  the  men  whose  lives  ebbed  away 
behind  the  cruel  silence  of  the  walls  of  the  Spanish  Inquisition, 
were  such  men  as  Spain  needed  most.  What  saving  effect  did 
their  death  exercise?  The  uncounted  patriots  whose  chains 
have  clanked  on  the  march  to  Siberian  exile,  have  not  yet 
freed  Russia  from  its  blind  oligarchy.    Our  faith  is  that  their 

179 


[XI-s]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

lives  were  dear  to  God,  and  that  their  sorrows  and  the  bitter 
tears  of  those  who  loved  them  are  somehow  part  of  an 
accumulating  force  which  will  one  day  save  Russia.  But  this 
is  religious  faith,  "a  conviction  of  things  not  seen."  We  can 
not  prove  it.     We  can  only  trust. 

Meanwhile  it  is  our  business  to  see  that  no  innocent  blood 
is  wasted.  Pain  is  a  merciful  and  redemptive  institution  of 
nature  when  pain  acts  as  an  alarm-bell  to  direct  intelligent 
attention  to  the  cause  of  the  pain.  If  pain  does  not  force 
the  elimination  of  its  own  cause,  it  is  an  added  evil.  The 
death  of  the  innocent,  through  oppression,  child  labor,  dirt 
diseases,  or  airless  tenements,  ought  to  arrest  the  attention 
of  the  community  and  put  the  social  cause  of  their  death  in 
the  limelight.  In  that  case  they  have  died  a  vicarious  death 
which  helps  to  redeem  the  rest  from  a  social  evil,  and  anyone 
who  utilizes  their  suffering  for  that  end,  shows  his  reverence 
for  their  death.  We  owe  that  duty  in  even  higher  measure 
to  the  prophets,  who  are  not  passive  and  unconscious  victims, 
but  who  set  themselves  intelligently  in  opposition  to  evil. 
The  moral  soundness  of  a  nation  can  be  measured  by  the 
swiftness  and  accuracy  with  which  it  understands  its  pro- 
phetic voices,  or  personalities,  or  events.  The  next  best 
thing  to  being  a  prophet  is  to  interpret  a  prophet.  This  is 
one  of  the  proper  functions  of  trained  and  idealistic  minds, 
such  as  college  men  and  women  should  possess.  The  more  the 
Kingdom  of  God  is  present,  the  less  will  prophets  be  allowed 
to  suffer.    When  it  is  fully  come,  the  cross  will  disappear. 


The  social  principle  of  the  cross  contains  a  challenge  to 
all  who  are  conscious  of  qualities  of  leadership.  Let  the 
average  man  do  average  duties,  but  let  the  strong  man 
shoulder  the  heavy  pack.  It  is  no  more  than  fair  that  persons 
of  great  natural  power  should  deliberately  choose  work  in- 
volving social  hardships.  At  present  the  theory  seems  to  be 
that  the  strong  have  a  right  to  secure  places  where  they  will 

i8o 


THE  CROSS  AS  A  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLE    [XI-s] 

be  freed  from  the  necessity  of  exerting  themselves,  and  can 
lay  their  support  on  the  shoulders  of  the  poor.  That  is  the 
law  of  the  cross  reversed.  Our  semi-pagan  society  has 
alwaj^s  practiced  vicarious  suffering  by  letting  the  poor  bear 
the  burdens  of  the  rich  in  addition  to  their  own.  Instead 
of  encouraging  the  capable  to  hunt  after  predatory  profit 
and  entrusting  public  powers  to  those  who  have  been  most 
successful  in  preying,  we  ought  to  encourage  solidaristic 
feeling,  and  give  both  power  and  honor  to  those  who  are 
ready  to  serve  the  commonwealth  at  severe  cost  to  themselves. 

What  has  the  principle  of  the  cross  to  say  to  college  men 
and  women?  If  they  have  an  exceptional  outfit,  let  them  do 
exceptional  work.  A  knight  in  armor  was  expected  to  charge 
where  others  could  not  venture.  A  college  education  entitles 
a  Christian  man  to  some  hard  knocks.  It  seems  contemptible 
for  us  to  walk  off  with  the  pleasures  and  powers  of  intel- 
lectual training,  and  to  leave  the  work  of  protecting  children 
and  working  girls  against  exploitation  to  men  and  women 
without  education,  without  leisure,  and  without  social  stand- 
ing, who  will  have  to  pay  double  the  tale  of  effort  for  every 
bit  of  success  they  win.  In  some  European  countries  foreign 
mission  service  has  been  left  mainly  to  men  and  women  of 
the  artisan  class.  In  our  country  college  men  and  women 
have  volunteered  for  it.  That  is  as  it  ought  to  be.  On  the 
other  hand,  in  the  struggle  for  political  hberty  the  European 
universities  have  taken  a  braver  and  more  sacrificial  part 
than  has  ever  fallen  to  our  lot. 

Those  who  are  conscious  of  a  prophetic  mission  have  a 
redoubled  motive  for  a  clean,  sober,  and  sincere  life.  Espe- 
cially in  its  initial  stages  an  ethical  movement  is  identified 
with  its  leaders  and  tested  by  their  character.  A  good  man 
can  get  a  hearing  for  an  unpopular  cause  by  the  trust  he 
inspires.  His  cause  banks  on  his  credit.  The  flawed  private 
character  or  dubious  history  of  a  leader  is  a  drag.  It  is 
worse  yet  if  a  man  whose  name  has  long  been  a  guarantee 
for  his  message,  backslides  and  brings  doubt  upon  all  his 
previous  professions.    Cases  could  be  mentioned  where  noble 

i8i 


[XI-s]     THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

movements  were  wrecked  for  years  because  a  leader  forfeited 
his  honor.  Constant  fighting  against  evil  involves  subtle 
temptations.  To  stand  alone,  to  set  your  own  conviction 
against  the  majority,  to  challenge  what  is  supposed  to  be 
final,  to  disregard  the  conventional  standards — this  may  lead 
to  dangerous  habits  of  mind.  If  we  propose  to  spread  a  lot 
of  canvas  in  a  high  wind,  we  need  the  more  ballast  in  the 
hold.  Through  the  thin  partitions  of  a  summer  hotel,  a 
man  heard  Moody  praying  God  to  save  him  from  Moody. 
Imagine  what  it  must  be  to  lose  standing  and  honor  among 
your  fellow  men  by  secret  weakness.  Imagine  also  the 
poignant  pain  if  your  disgrace  pulls  down  a  cause  which 
you  have  loved  for  years  and  which  in  purer  days  you  vowed 
to  follow  to  its  coronation. 

Suggestions  for  Thought  and  Discussion 

I.  Vicarious  Suffering  and  Social  Progress 

1.  Does  suffering  benefit  humanity?  Titus  crucified 
thousands  of  Jews  during  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem. 
Did  their  death  have  any  saving  effect? 

2.  What  is  the  connection  between  vicarious  sufifering 
and  social  salvation? 

II.  Prophetic  Suffering 

1.  What  was  the  fate  of  the  Old  Testament  prophets? 
What  was  their  influence  in  the  life  of  Israel?  To  what 
extent  is  Mark  12:1-9  a  fair  epitome  of  the  treatment  of 
the  prophets  by  the  Hebrew  nation? 

2.  What  is  the  significance  of  Isa.  53:4-8?  Why  and 
how  can  the  sins  of  a  group  fall  on  another? 

3.  Where  did  Jesus  see  the  continuity  of  prophetic  suf- 
fering in  his  own  times? 

4.  What  place  did  he  give  to  vicarious  suffering  in  the 
life  of  his  followers  and  in  the  conquest  of  the  Kingdom? 
How  does  the  law  of  the  Cross  connect  with  the  fact  of 
solidarity? 

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THE  CROSS  AS  A  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLE    [XI-a> 

5.  In  what  respects  was  Christ's  Cross  unique?  In  what 
respects  does  it  express  a  general  spiritual  law? 

III.  Vicarious  Suffering  Today 

1.  Give  instances  of  persons  in  public  life  today  whoso 
careers  were  wrecked  because  they  assailed  socialized  evil 
or  graft.  How  does  this  differ  from  the  fate  of  the 
prophets? 

2.  Are  the  sacrifices  of  prophetic  leaders  ever  useless 
and  actually  ineffective?  Do  you  feel  an  inward  protest 
against  that?     On  what  ground? 

3.  To  what  extent  is  the  call  to  be  a  Christian  a  chal- 
lenge to  vicarious  suffering?  What  social  significance, 
then,  would  Christian  baptism  have? 

4.  Is  there  anything  wrong  with  a  Christian  life  which 
does  not  incur  suffering? 

5.  Would  suffering  be  normal  in  the  religious  life  of 
the  young? 

6.  Why  does  this  social  principle  apply  especially  to 
college  men  and  women? 

IV.  For  Special  Discussion 

1.  What  qualities  constitute  a  man  a  prophet? 

2.  Are  there  embryonic  prophets?  Or  spent  prophets? 
Is  a  prophet  necessarily  a  saint? 

3.  Do  prophets  arise  where  religion  deals  with  private 
life  only?  What  is  the  social  value  of  prophetic  person- 
alities ? 

4.  Name  men  in  secular  history  and  literature  who  have 
the  marks  of  the  prophet.    Any  in  recent  times? 

5.  Does  learning  create  prophetic  vision  or  blur  it? 

6.  Does  the  ordinary  religion  today  put  a  man  in  lino 
for  the  Cross  or  for  a  job  as  a  bank  director? 

7.  Can  you  think  of  anything  that  would  bring  the 
Cross  back  into  the  life  of  the  churches  today? 

8.  Would  vicarious  suffering  diminish  if  society  became 
Christianized  ? 

183 


CHAPTER  XII 

A  REVIEW  AND  A  CHALLENGE 

The  Social  Principles  of  Jesus  Demand  Personal 
Allegiance  and  Social  Action 

Daily  Readings 

First  Day  :  The  Social  Mission  of  Christians 

Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth.    ...    Ye  are  the 
light  of  the  world. — Matt.  5:   13,   14. 

"Jesus  speaks  here  with  the  consciousness  of  an  historic 
mission  to  the  whole  of  humanity.  Yet  it  was  a  Nazarene 
carpenter  speaking  to  a  group  of  Galilean  peasants  and 
fishermen.  Under  the  circumstances,  and  at  the  time,  it  was 
an  utterance  of  the  most  daring  faith — faith  in  himself,  faith 
in  them,  faith  in  what  he  was  putting  into  them,  faith  in  faith. 
Jesus  failed  and  was  crucified,  first  his  body  by  his  enemies, 
and  then  his  spirit  by  the  men  who  bore  his  name.  But  that 
failure  was  so  amazing  a  success  that  today  it  takes  an 
effort  on  our  part  to  realize  that  it  required  any  faith  on 
his  part  to  inaugurate  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  to  send 
out  his  apostolate."  ^ 

If  the  antiseptic  and  enlightening  influence  of  the  sincere 
followers  of  Jesus  were  eliminated  from  our  American  com- 
munities, what  would  be  the  presumable  social  effects? 

Second  Day  :  The  Great  Initiator  of  the  Kingdom  of  God 

At  that  season  Jesus  answered  and  said,   I  thank 
thee,  O  Father,  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  that  thou 


*"  Christianity  and  the  Social  Crisis,"  p.  415. 
184 


A  REVIEW  AND  A  CHALLENGE        [XII-2] 

didst  hide  these  things  from  the  wise  and  under- 
standing, and  didst  reveal  them  unto  babes:  yea, 
Father,  for  so  it  was  well-pleasing  in  thy  sight. 
All  things  have  been  delivered  unto  me  of  my 
Father :  and  no  one  knoweth  the  Son,  save  the 
Father;  neither  doth  any  know  the  Father,  save  the 
Son,  and  he  to  whomsoever  the  Son  willeth  to 
reveal  him.  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and 
are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest.  Take  my 
yoke  upon  you,  and  learn  of  me;  for  I  am  meek  and 
lowly  in  heart :  and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls. 
For  my  yoke  is  easy,  and  my  burden  is  light. 
— Matt.  II :  25-30. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  thrilling  passages  in  the  Bible.  It 
has  always  been  understood  as  a  call  to  intimate  religion,  as 
the  appeal  of  a  personal  Saviour  to  those  who  are  loaded 
with  sin  and  weary  of  worldliness.  But  in  fact  it  expresses 
the  sense  of  a  revolutionary  mission  to  society. 

Jesus  had  the  consciousness  of  a  unique  relation  to  the 
Father,  which  made  him  the  mediator  of  a  new  understand- 
ing of  God  and  of  life  (v.  27).  This  new  insight  was 
making  a  new  intellectual  alignment,  leaving  the  philosophers 
and  scholars  as  they  were,  and  fertilizing  the  minds  of 
simple  people  (v.  25).  It  is  an  historical  fact  that  the 
brilliant  body  of  intellectuals  of  the  first  and  second  cen- 
turies was  blind  to  what  proved  to  be  the  most  fruitful  and 
influential  movement  of  all  times,  and  it  was  left  to  slaves 
and  working  men  to  transmit  it  and  save  it  from  suppression 
at  the  cost  of  their  lives. 

Then  Jesus  turns  to  the  toiling  and  heavy  laden  people 
about  him  with  the  offer  of  a  new  kind  of  leadership — none 
of  the  brutal  self-assertion  of  the  Caesars  and  of  all  con- 
querors here,  but  a  gentle  and  humble  spirit,  and  an  obedience 
which  was  pleasure  and  brought  release  to  the  soul. 

These  words  express  his  consciousness  of  being  different, 
and  of  bearing  within  him  the  beginnings  of  a  new  spiritual 
constitution  of  humanity. 

i8S 


[XII-3]    THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

When  individuals  have  really  come  under  the  new  law 
of   Christ,   does  Jesus  make  good? 

Would  he  also  make  good  if  humanity  based  its  collective 
life  on  the  social  principles  which  we  have  studied? 

If  the  choice  is  between  Caesar  and  Christ,  which  shall  it  be? 

Third  Day:  The  Kingdom  of  Truth 

Pilate  therefore  entered  again  into  the  Praetorium, 
and  called  Jesus,  and  said  unto  him,  Art  thou  the 
King  of  the  Jews?  Jesus  answered,  Sayest  thou  this 
of  thyself,  or  did  others  tell  it  thee  concerning  me? 
Pilate  answered.  Am  I  a  Jew?  Thine  own  nation 
and  the  chief  priests  delivered  thee  unto  me :  what 
hast  thou  done?  Jesus  answered.  My  kingdom  is 
not  of  this  world :  if  my  kingdom  were  of  this 
world,  then  would  my  servants  fight,  that  I  should 
not  be  delivered  to  the  Jews :  but  now  is  my  kingdom 
not  from  hence.  Pilate  therefore  said  unto  him, 
Art  thou  a  king  then?  Jesus  answered,  Thou  sayest 
that  I  am  a  king.  To  this  end  have  I  been  born, 
and  to  this  end  am  I  come  into  the  world,  that  I 
should  bear  witness  unto  the  truth.  Every  one  that 
is  of  the  truth  heareth  my  voice.  Pilate  saith  unto 
him.  What  is  truth? 

And  when  he  had  said  this,  he  went  out  again 
unto  the  Jews,  and  saith  unto  them,  I  find  no  crime 
in  him. — John   i8:  33-38. 

All  kingdoms  rest  on  force;  formerly  on  swords  and 
bayonets,  now  on  big  guns.  To  overthrow  them  you  must 
prepare  more  force,  bigger  guns.  Jesus  was  accused  before 
Pilate  of  being  leader  of  a  force  revolution  aiming  to  make 
him  king.  He  claimed  the  kingship,  but  repudiated  the  force. 
To  his  mind  the  absence  of  force  resistance  was  character- 
istic of  his  whole  undertaking.  Instead,  his  power  was 
based  on  the  appeal  and  attractiveness  of  truth.  When 
Pilate  heard  about  "truth"  he  thought  he  had  a  sophist 
before  him,  one  more  builder  of  metaphysical  systems,  and 
expressed  the  skepticism  of  the  man  on  the  street:  "What  is 

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A  REVIEW  AND  A  CHALLENGE        [XII-4] 

truth?"  But  Jesus  was  not  a  teacher  of  abstract  doctrine, 
whatever  his  expounders  have  made  of  him.  His  mind  was 
bent  on  realities.  If  we  substitute  "reality"  for  "truth"  in 
his  saying  here,  we   shall  get  near  his  thought. 

Which  is  more  durable,  power  based  on  force,  or  power 
based  on  spiritual  coherence? 

Fourth  Day:  A  Mental  Transformation 

I  beseech  you  therefore,  brethren,  by  the  mercies 
of  God,  to  present  your  bodies  a  living  sacrifice,  holy, 
acceptable  to  God,  which  is  your  spiritual  service. 
And  be  not  fashioned  according  to  this  world :  but 
be  ye  transformed  by  the  renewing  of  your  mind, 
that  ye  may  prove  what  is  the  good  and  acceptable 
and  perfect  will  of  God. — Rom.  12 :   i,  2. 

In  the  first  century  the  Christians  were  a  new  social  group, 
confronting  the  social  order  of  the  Roman  Empire  with  a 
new  religious  faith,  a  revolutionary  hope,  and  a  powerful 
impulse  of  fraternity.  Those  who  had  come  out  of  pagan 
society  still  felt  the  pull  of  its  loose  pleasures  and  moral 
maxims,  and  of  its  idolatry.  Paul  here  challenges  them  to 
submit  fully  to  the  social  assimilation  of  the  new  group.  It 
involved  an  intellectual  renewal,  a  new  spiritual  orientation, 
which  must  have  been  searching  and  painful.  It  involved  the 
loss  of  many  social  pleasures,  of  business  profit  and  civic 
honor,  and  it  might  at  any  time  mean  banishment,  torture, 
and  death.  The  altar  symbol  of  sacrifice  might  become  a 
scarlet  reality.  Yet  see  with  what  triumphant  joy  and  assur- 
ance Paul  speaks. 

If  a  student  should  dedicate  himself  to  the  creation  of  a 
Christian  social  order  today,  would  it  still  require  an  intel- 
lectual renewing? 

Would   it  cramp  him  or  enlarge  him? 

Fifth  Day:  The  Distinctive  Contribution  of  Christ 
There  was  the   true  light,   even  the   light  which 
187 


[XII-6]    THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

lighteth  every  man,  coming  into  the  world.  He  was 
in  the  world,  and  the  world  was  made  through  him, 
and  the  world  knew  him  not.  He  came  unto  his 
own,  and  they  that  were  his  own  received  him  not. 
But  as  many  as  received  him,  to  them  gave  he  the 
right  to  become  children  of  God,  even  to  them  that 
believe  on  his  name :  who  were  born,  not  of  blood, 
nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man, 
but  of  God.  And  the  Word  became  flesh,  and  dwelt 
among  us  (and  we  beheld  his  glory,  glory  as  of  the 
only  begotten  from  the  Father),  full  of  grace  and 
truth.  For  the  law  was  given  through  Moses;  grace 
and  truth  came  through  Jesus  Christ. — John  i : 
9-14,   17- 

Here  is  the  tragedy  of  the  Gospel  story,  seen  from  a  long 
perspective  and  stated  in  terms  of  Greek  philosophy.  The 
Light  which  lighteth  every  man,  the  Logos  through  whom 
God  had  created  the  kosmos,  had  come  to  this  world  in 
human  form,  and  been  rejected.  But  some  had  received 
him,  and  these  had  received  a  new  life  through  him,  which 
made  them  children  of  God.  They  had  discovered  in  him 
a  new  kind  of  spiritual  splendor,  characterized  by  "grace 
and  truth."  Even  Moses  had  contributed  only  law  to 
humanity;    Christ   was  identified  with   grace  and   truth. 

How  would  you  paraphrase  the  statements  of  John  to 
express  the  attitude  of   nineteen  centuries   to   Christ? 

What  has  he  in  fact  done  for  those  who  have  received  him? 

What  would  be  the  modern  equivalent  of  "grace  and 
truth"  to  express  the  distinctive  contribution  of  Christ  to 
human   history? 

Sixth  Day:  The  Master  of  the  Greatest  Game 

Therefore  let  us  also,  seeing  we  are  compassed 
about  with  so  great  a  cloud  of  witnesses,  lay  aside 
every  weight,  and  the  sin  which  doth  so  easily  beset 
us,  and  let  us  run  with  patience  the  race  that  is 
set  before  us,  looking  unto  Jesus  the  author  and 
188 


A  REVIEW  AND  A  CHALLENGE        [XII-7] 

perfecter  of  our  faith,  who  for  the  joy  that  was 
set  before  him  endured  the  cross,  despising  shame, 
and  hath  sat  down  at  the  right  hand  of  the  throne 
of  God.  For  consider  him  that  hath  endured  such 
gainsaying  of  sinners  against  himself,  that  ye  wax  not 
weary,  fainting  in  your  souls. — Heb.  12 :   1-3. 

The  man  who  wrote  the  little  treatise  from  which  this  is 
quoted  saw  the  history  of  humanity  summed  up  in  the  live 
spirits  who  had  the  power  of  projection  into  the  future. 
Faith  is  the  quality  of  mind  which  sees  things  before  they 
are  visible,  which  acts  on  ideals  before  they  are  realities,  and 
which  feels  the  distant  city  of  God  to  be  more  dear,  sub- 
stantial, and  attractive  than  the  edible  and  profitable  present. 
Read  Hebrews  11.  So  he  calls  on  Christians  to  take  up 
the  same  manner  of  life,  and  compares  them  with  men 
running  a  race  in  an  amphitheatre  packed  with  all  the  genera- 
tions of  the  past  who  are  watching  them  make  their  record. 
But  he  bids  them  keep  their  eye  on  Jesus  who  starts  them 
at  the  line  and  will  meet  them  at  the  goal,  and  who  has  set 
the  pace  for  good  and  fleet  men  for  all  time. 

What  is  the  social  and  evolutionary  value  of  the  men  o£ 
"faith"  in  the  sense  of  Hebrews  11? 
Have  we  left  Jesus  behind  us  by  this  time? 

Seventh  Day:  The  Beginning  of  the  Greatest  Movement 
in  History 

Now  after  John  was  delivered  up,  Jesus  came 
into  Galilee,  preaching  the  gospel  of  God,  and  saying. 
The  time  is  fulfilled,  and  the  kingdom  of  God  is  at 
hand :  repent  ye,  and  believe  in  the  gospel. 

And  passing  along  by  the  sea  of  Galilee,  he  saw 
Simon  and  Andrew  the  brother  of  Simon  casting  a 
net  in  the  sea;  for  they  were  fishers.  And  Jesus 
said  unto  them.  Come  ye  after  me,  and  I  will  make 
you  to  become  fishers  of  men.  And  straightway  they 
left  the  nets,  and  followed  him.  And  going  on  a 
little  further,  he  saw  James  the  son  of  Zebedee,  and 

189 


[XII-s]    THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

John  his  brother,  who  also  were  in  the  boat  mending 
the  nets.  And  straightway  he  called  them:  and  they 
left  their  father  Zebedee  in  the  boat  with  the  hired 
servants,  and  went  after  him. — Mark  1 :  14-20. 

Here  we  have  the  beginning  of  organized  Christianity. 
This  is  the  germinal  cell  of  that  vast  social  movement  of 
which  foreign  missions,  the  establishment  of  the  American 
Republic,  and  the  modern  labor  movement  are  products.  It 
began  with  repentance,  faith,  and  self-sacrificing  action,  and 
it  will  always  have  to  advance  by  the  same  means.  To  those 
four  men  Jesus  was  an  incarnate  challenge.  He  dared  them 
to  come,  and  promised  to  put  their  lives  on  a  higher  level. 
He  stands  over  against  us  with  the  same  challenge.  He 
points  to  the  blackened  fields  of  battle,  to  the  economic  in- 
justice and  exploitation  of  industry,  to  the  paganism  and 
sexualism  of  our  life.  Is  this  old  order  of  things  to  go  on 
forever?  Will  our  children,  and  their  children,  still  be 
ground  through  the  hopper?  Or  have  we  faith  to  adventure 
our  life  in  a  new  order,  the  Kingdom  of  God? 

Study  for  the  Week 

Has  our  study  of  the  "Social  Principles  of  Jesus"  revealed 
a  clear  and  consistent  scheme  of  life,  worthy  of  our  respect? 

I 

We  have  seen  that  three  convictions  were  axiomatic  with 
Jesus,  so  that  all  his  reasoning  and  his  moral  imperatives 
were  based  on  them,  just  as  all  thought  and  work  in  physics 
is  based  on  gravitation.  These  convictions  were  the  sacred- 
ness  of  life  and  personality,  the  solidarity  of  the  human 
family,  and  the  obligation  of  the  strong  to  stand  up  for 
all  whose  life  is  impaired  or  whose  place  within  humanity  is 
denied. 

It  can  not  be  questioned  that  these  convictions  were  a 
tremendous  and  spontaneous  force  in  the  spirit  of  Jesus. 
That  alone  suffices   to  align  him  with   all   idealistic  minds, 

190 


A  REVIEW  AND  A  CHALLENGE        [XII-s] 

to  whom  man  is  more  than  matter,  more  than  labor  force, 
a  mysterious  participant  of  the  spiritual  powers  of  the  uni- 
verse. It  aligns  him  with  all  men  of  solidaristic  conviction, 
who  are  working  for  genuine  community  life  in  village  and 
city,  for  a  nation  with  fraternal  institutions  and  fraternal 
national  consciousness,  and  for  a  coming  family  of  nations 
and  races.  It  aligns  him  with  all  exponents  of  the  demo- 
cratic social  spirit  of  our  day,  who  feel  the  wrongs  of  the 
common  people  and  are  trying  to  make  the  world  juster  and 
more  fraternal. 

The  best  forces  of  modern  life  are  converging  along  these 
lines.  There  is  no  contradiction  between  them  and  the  spirit 
of  Jesus.  On  the  contrary,  they  are  largely  the  product  of 
his  spirit,  diffused  and  organized  in  the  Western  world.  He 
was  the  initiator;  we  are  the  interpreters  and  agents.  Nor 
has  he  been  outstripped  like  an  early  inventor  and  discoverer 
whose  crude  work  is  honored  only  because  others  were  able 
to  improve  on  it.  Quite  the  contrary;  the  more  vividly  these 
spiritual  convictions  glow  in  the  heart  of  any  man,  the  more 
will  he  feel  that  Jesus  is  still  ahead,  still  the  inspiring  force. 
As  soon  as  we  get  beyond  theory  to  life  and  action,  we  know 
that  we  are  dependent  for  the  spiritual  powers  in  modern 
life  on  the  continued  influence  of  Jesus  Christ  over  the  lives 
of  others. 

II 

We  saw  in  the  second  place  that  Jesus  had  a  social  ideal, 
the  Reign  of  God  on  earth,  in  which  God's  will  would  be 
done.  This  ideal  with  him  was  not  a  Utopian  and  academic 
fancy,  but  the  great  prize  and  task  of  life  toward  which  he 
launched  all  his  energies.  He  called  men  to  turn  away  from 
the  evil  ways  of  the  old  order,  and  to  get  a  mind  fit  for  the 
new.  He  set  the  able  individuals  to  work,  and  put  the  spirit 
of  intense  labor  and  devotion  into  them.  He  proposed  to 
effect  the  transition  from  the  old  order  to  the  new  by  ex- 
panding the  area  of  moral  obligation  and  raising  the  standards 
of  moral  relationships. 

191 


[XII-s]    THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

By  having  such  a  social  ideal  at  all,  he  draws  away  from  all 
who  are  stationary  and  anchored  in  the  world  as  it  is ;  from 
all  who  locate  the  possibility  of  growth  and  progress  in  the 
individual  only;  and  from  all  whose  desire  for  perfection 
runs  away  from  this  world  to  a  world  beyond  the  grave. 

By  moving  toward  the  new  social  order  of  the  Kingdom 
of  God  with  such  wholeness  of  determination,  he  is  the 
constant  rebuke  for  all  of  us  who  are  trying  to  live  with  a 
"divided  allegiance,"  straddling  between  the  iniquities  of  force, 
profit,  and  inhumanity,  and  the  fraternal  righteousness  of 
the  Gospel  we  profess  to  believe.  Jesus  at  least  was  no  time- 
server,  no  Mr.  Facing-both-ways,  no  hypocrite;  and  whenever 
we  touch  his  elbow  by  inadvertence,  a  shiver  of  reality  and 
self-contempt  runs  through  us. 

Ill 

We  saw  in  the  third  place  that  Jesus  dealt  with  serioui 
intelligence  with  the  great  human  instincts  that  go  wrong. 

The  capacity  for  leadership  and  the  desire  for  it  hav^ 
fastened  the  damning  institutions  of  tyranny  and  oppression 
on  humanity  and  tied  us  up  so  completely  that  the  rare 
historical  chances  of  freedom  and  progress  have  been  like  a 
tumultuous  and  brief  escape.  Yet  Jesus  saw  that  ambition 
was  not  to  be  suppressed,  but  to  be  yoked  to  the  service  of 
society.  In  the  past,  society  was  allowed  to  advance  and 
prosper  only  if  this  advanced  the  prosperity  and  security  of 
its  ruling  classes.  Jesus  proposed  that  this  be  reversed,  so 
that  the  leaders  would  have  to  earn  power  and  honor  by 
advancing  the  welfare  of  society  by  distinguished  service  at 
cost  to  themselves. 

The  desire  for  private  property  has  been  the  chief  outlet 
for  selfish  impulses  antagonistic  to  public  welfare.  To  gain 
private  wealth  men  have  slaughtered  the  forests,  contami- 
nated the  rivers,  drained  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  monopolized 
the  mineral  wealth  of  the  country,  enslaved  childhood,  double- 
yoked  motherhood,  exhausted  manhood,  hog-tied  community 

192 


A  REVIEW  AND  A  CHALLENGE        [XII-s] 

undertakings,  and  generally  acted  as  the  dog  in  the  manger 
toward  humanity.  Jesus  opposed  accumulation  without  moral 
purpose,  the  inhumanity  of  property  differences,  and  the  fatal 
absorption  of  money-making.  Yet  he  was  not  ascetic.  It  is 
probably  safe  to  say  that  he  would  not  be  against  private 
property  in  so  far  as  it  serves  the  common  good,  and  not 
against  public  property  at  all. 

Like  ambition  and  the  property  instinct,  the  religious  im- 
pulse may  go  wrong,  and  subject  society  to  its  distortions  or 
tyranny.  Jesus  always  stood  for  an  ethical  and  social  out- 
come of  religion.  He  sought  to  harness  the  great  power  of 
religion  to  righteousness  and  love.  With  a  mind  so  purely 
religious  we  might  expect  that  he  would  make  all  earthly  and 
social  interests  subservient  to  personal  religion.  The  fact 
that  he  reversed  it,  seems  clear  proof  that  he  was  socially 
minded  and  that  the  Kingdom  of  God  as  a  right  social 
organism  was  the  really  vital  thing  to  him. 

IV 

We  have  seen,  finally,  that  Jesus  had  a  deep  sense  of  the 
sin  and  evil  in  the  world.  Human  nature  is  frail;  men  of 
evil  will  are  powerful;  organized  evil  is  in  practical  control. 
Consequently  social  regeneration  involves  not  only  growth  but 
conflict.  The  way  to  the  Kingdom  of  God  always  has  been 
and  always  will  be  a  zna  dolorosa.  The  cross  is  not  accidental, 
but  is  a  law  of   social  progress. 

These  conceptions  together  seem  to  shape  up  mto  a  con- 
sistent conception  of  social  life.  It  is  not  the  modern  scien- 
tific scheme,  but  a  religious  view  of  life.  But  it  blends  in- 
comparably better  with  modern  science  than  the  scholastic 
philosophy  or  theology  of  an  age  far  nearer  to  us  than  Jesus. 
It  is  strange  how  little  modern  knowledge  has  to  discount 
in  the  teachings  of  Jesus.  As  Romanes  once  pointed  out,* 
Plato  followed  Socrates  and  lived  amidst  a  blaze  of  genius 
never   since   equalled;   he   is   the   greatest   representative   of 

*G.  J.  Romanes,  "Thoughts  on  Religion,"  p.  157. 
193 


[XII-s]    THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

human  reason  in  the  direction  of  spirituality  unaided  by 
revelation ;  "but  the  errors  in  the  dialogues  reach  to  absurdity 
in  reason  and  to  sayings  shocking  to  the  moral  sense." 

The  writer  of  this  little  book  has  come  back  to  an  intensive 
study  of  Jesus  at  intervals  of  years,  and  every  time  it  was 
like  a  fresh  revelation,  leaving  a  sense  of  mental  exhilaration 
and  a  new  sense  of  joy  in  truth.  Never  was  there  a  feeling 
that  Jesus  was  exhausted  and  had  nothing  more  to  say. 

For  a  true  valuation  of  his  intellectual  contribution  to  man- 
kind we  must  remember  that  we  have  not  a  page  of  his  own 
writing.  We  are  dependent  on  the  verbal  memory  of  his 
disciples;  so  far  as  we  know,  nothing  was  written  down  for 
years.  The  fragments  which  survived  probably  had  to  stand 
the  ordeal  of  translation  from  the  Aramaic  to  the  Greek. 
Simply  from  the  point  of  view  of  literature,  it  is  an  amazing 
thing  that  anything  characteristic  in  Jesus  survived  at  all. 
But  it  did.  His  sayings  have  the  sparkle  of  genius  and  per- 
sonahty;  the  illustrations  and  epigrams  which  he  threw  off 
in  fertile  profusion  are  still  clinchers ;  even  his  humor  plays 
around  them.  Critics  undertake  to  fix  on  the  genuine  sayings 
by  internal  evidence.  Only  a  mind  of  transcendent  originality 
could  win  its  way  to  posterity  through  such  obstructions. 

But  we  ought  not  to  forget  the  brevity  of  our  material 
when  we  try  to  build  up  a  coherent  conception  of  his  outlook 
on  society.  There  is  little  use  in  stickling  on  details.  The 
main  thing  is  the  personality  of  Jesus,  his  religious  and 
ethical  insight  into  the  nature  and  needs  of  the  social  life 
of  mankind,  the  vital  power  of  religious  conviction  which 
he  was  able  to  put  behind  righteousness,  and  the  historical 
force  which  he  set  going  through  history. 

From  the  indirect  influences  which  Jesus  Christ  set  in 
motion,  no  man  or  woman  or  child  in  America  can  escape. 
We  live  on  him.  Even  those  who  attack  the  Christian  Church, 
or  who  repudiate  what  they  suppose  Christ  to  stand  for, 
do  so  with  spiritual  weapons  which  they  have  borrowed 
from  him.  But  it  does  make  a  great  difference  whether  the 
young  men  and  women  of  our  day  give  their  conscious  and 

194 


A  REVIEW  AND  A  CHALLENGE        [XII-s] 

intelligent  allegiance  to  Christianity  or  hold  aloof  in  mis- 
understanding. Without  them  the  Christian  movement  will 
mark  time  on  old  issues.  With  them  it  will  dig  new  irriga- 
tion channels  and  string  the  wires  for  new  power  trans- 
mission. 

In  return,  Christianity  can  do  more  for  students  than 
they  themselves  are  likely  to  realize  in  youth.  Men  grow 
tired.  Their  moral  enthusiasm  flags.  Scientific  sociology 
may  remain  academic,  cold,  and  ineffective.  We  need  in- 
spiration, impulse,  will  power,  and  nothing  can  furnish  such 
steady  accessions  of  moral  energy  as  living  religion.  Science 
and  the  Christian  faith  combined  are  strong.  Those  who 
succeed  in  effecting  a  combination  of  these  two  without 
insincerity  or  cowardice  are  the  coming  leaders. 

If  a  student's  mind  has  given  inward  consent  to  the  teach- 
ings of  Jesus  in  this  course  of  study,  that  constitutes  an 
appeal  for  personal  discipleship.  Can  we  go  with  Christ  in 
living  out  these  principles,  and  meanwhile  draw  on  his  spirit- 
ual wealth  to  build  up  our  growing  life?  If  there  is  a 
student  who  can  not  at  present  affirm  all  that  the  Christian 
Church  holds  concerning  the  nature  of  Christ,  why  should 
he  not  approach  him  as  the  earliest  disciples  did,  by  personal 
love  and  obedience,  following  him  and  cooperating  with  him 
in  the  business  of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  and  arriving  in 
time  at  full  faith  in  his  Messiahship?  A  great  and  firm 
faith  is  the  product  and  prize  of  a  lifetime  of  prayer  and 
loving  action,  "Light  is  sown  to  the  righteous."  As  we 
gather  the  wisdom  of  life,  and  find  that  while  we  move 
from  knowledge  to  knowledge,  we  are  also  advancing  from 
mystery  to  mystery,  many  of  us  will  be  ready  and  glad  to 
join  in  the  highest  affirmation  of  faith  about  Jesus  Christ, 
in  whom  we  have  learned  to  see  God. 

"If  Jesus  Christ  is  a  man, 
And  only  a  man,  I  say 
That  of  all  mankind  I  cleave  to  him. 
And  to  him  I  cleave  alway. 

I9S 


[XII-s]    THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

"If  Jesus  Christ  is  a  God, 
And  the  only  God,  I  swear 
I  will  follow  him  through  heaven  and  hell, 
The  earth,  the  sea,  and  the  air." 

— RicHAiu)  Watson  Gilder. 

If  Christianity  henceforth  is  to  discharge  its  full  energy  in 
the  regeneration  of  social  life,  it  especially  needs  the  alle- 
giance of  college  men  and  women  who  have  learned  to  under- 
stand to  some  degree  the  facts  and  laws  of  human  society. 
The  development  of  what  is  called  "Social  Christianity"  or 
"the  social  gospel,"  is  a  fusion  between  the  new  under- 
standing created  by  the  social  sciences,  and  the  teachings 
and  moral  ideals  of  Christianity.  This  combination  was 
inevitable;  it  has  already  registered  social  effects  of  the 
highest  importance;  if  it  can  win  the  active  minds  of  the 
present  generation  of  college  students,  it  will  swing  a  part  of 
the  enormous  organized  forces  of  the  Christian  Church  to 
bear  on  the  social  tasks  of  our  American  communities,  and 
that  will  help  to  create  the  nobler  America  which  we  see 
by  faith. 

Christians  have  never  fully  understood  Christianity.  A 
purer  comprehension  of  its  tremendous  contents  is  always 
necessary.  Think  what  it  would  signify  to  a  local  com- 
munity if  all  sincere  Christian  people  in  it  should  interpret 
their  obligation  in  the  social  terms  which  we  have  been 
using;  if  they  should  seek  not  only  their  own  salvation,  but 
the  reign  of  God  in  their  own  town;  if  they  should  cultivate 
the  habit  of  seeing  a  divine  sacredness  in  every  personality, 
should  assist  in  creating  the  economic  foundations  for  fra- 
ternal solidarity,  and  if,  as  Christians,  they  should  champion 
the  weak  in  their  own  community.  We  need  a  power  of 
renewal  in  our  American  communities  that  will  carry  us 
across  the  coming  social  transition,  and  social  Christianity 
can  supply  it  by  directing  the  plastic  force  of  the  old  faith 
of  our  fathers  to  the  new  social  tasks. 

Jesus  was  the  initiator  of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  It  is  a 
real  thing,  now  in  operation.     It  is  within  us,  and  among 

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A  REVIEW  AND  A  CHALLENGE        [XII-s] 

us,  gaining  ground  in  our  intellectual  life  and  in  our  social 
institutions.  It  overlaps  and  interpenetrates  all  existing  organ- 
izations, raising  them  to  a  higher  level  when  they  are  good, 
resisting  them  vk^hen  they  are  evil,  quietly  revolutionizing  the 
old  social  order  and  changing  it  into  the  new.  It  suffers 
terrible  reverses;  we  are_in  the  midst  of  one  now;  Hit  after 
a  time  it  may  become  apparent  that  a  master  hand  has  turned 
the  situation  and  laid  the  basis  of  victory  on  the  wrecks  of 
defeat.  The  Kingdom  of  God  is  always  coming;  you  can 
never  lay  your  hand  on  it  and  say,  "It  is  here."  But  such 
fragmentary  realizations  of  it  as  we  have,  alone  make  life 
worth  living.  The  memories  which  are  still  sweet  and  dear 
when  the  fire  begins  to  die  in  the  ashes,  are  the  memories  of 
days  when  we  lived  fully  in  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  toiling 
for  it,  suffering  for  it,  and  feeling  the  stirring  of  the  godlike 
and  eternal  life  within  us.  The  most  humiliating  and  crush- 
ing realization  is  that  we  have  betrayed  our  heavenly  Father- 
land and  sold  out  for  thirty  pieces  of  silver.  We  often 
mistake  it.  We  think  we  see  its  banner  in  the  distance,  when 
it  is  only  the  bloody  flag  of  the  old  order.  But  a  man  learns. 
He  comes  to  know  whether  he  is  in  God's  country,  especially 
if  he  sees  the  great  Leader  near  him. 

Suggestions  for  Thought  and  Discussion 

I.  The  Social  Principles  of  Jesus 

1.  Sum  up  the  social  principles  of  Jesus  which  we  have 
worked  out  in  this  course. 

2.  Do  they  seem  incisive?  Would  they  demand  far- 
reaching  social  changes?     What  changes? 

3.  What  conceptions  acquired  in  philosophical  and  social 
science  studies  connect  fruitfully  with  the  principles  of 
Jesus?  Do  any  scientific  conceptions  conflict  with  the 
essential  ideas  of  Jesus? 

II.  Social  Salvation 

I.    What  is  your  frank  estimate  of  the  value  of  the  social 
197 


[XII-s]    THE  SOCIAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  JESUS 

principles  of  Jesus  as  a  religious  and  ethical  basis  for  the 
regeneration  of  society? 

2.  Does  the  spiritual  development  of  modern  life  tend 
toward  the  position  of  Jesus  or  away  from  it? 

3.  What  opportunities  and  methods  does  modern  life 
offer  for  carrying  out  these  principles  in  our  social  order? 

4.  If  society  cannot  be  saved  under  the  spiritual  leader- 
ship of  Jesus,  how  can  it  be  saved? 

III.  The  Leader 

1.  As  this  course  proceeded,  has  our  respect  or  rever- 
ence for  Jesus  Christ  increased  or  diminished?  In  what 
ways? 

2.  Would  it  be  possible  to  join  the  forward  Christian 
forces  in  working  for  the  Kingdom  of  God  even  if  the 
theological  questions  are  still  unsolved  in  our  minds? 

3.  What  seem  now  the  best  methods  of  carrying  out 
these  principles  in  our  own  community  and  in  the  world? 

IV.  For  Special  Discussion 

1.  Does  the  salvation  of  society  seem  to  make  the  salva- 
tion of  the  individual  unnecessary  or  trivial?  Have  you 
lost  interest  in  it? 

2.  How  should  social  and  personal  salvation  connect? 

3.  What  would  a  loyal  religious  dedication  to  Christ 
and  Christianity  mean  to  our  scientific  social  inteUigence? 

4.  What  would  it  mean  to  the  course  of  our  life? 


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